Fulham striker Rodrigo Muniz has spoken candidly about one of the hardest periods of his life, revealing that his wife suffered a miscarriage last season while he was also recovering from a hamstring operation.

The 25-year-old Brazilian marked his return to Premier League goalscoring with an equaliser in Fulham's 1-1 draw against Newcastle United on Saturday — his first league goal since the opening match of last season.

A season of pain

Muniz underwent surgery on a hamstring injury in November and did not return to action until early February. That physical setback was compounded by heartbreak off the pitch.

"Last season was really difficult for me because, now I can say it, but I had the surgery," he said. "My wife was pregnant last season and, unfortunately, we lost the baby, but God is good all the time and now she's pregnant again."

He dedicated Saturday's goal to the new pregnancy: "The goal was for my baby, and I hope this season will be different than last season."

Goals in the cups too

Muniz had already found the net in Carabao Cup victories over AFC Wimbledon and West Ham this season, and his tally for Fulham continues to grow. Since joining the London club from Flamengo in 2021, he has accumulated 19 goals and three assists across 86 Premier League appearances.

Fighting for a starting place

Despite that record, Muniz has started none of his eight Premier League appearances under manager Alvaro Arbeloa this season, coming off the bench each time. He made clear he intends to change that.

"I train hard every week to get opportunities to play and I want to play more," he said. "I cannot control the gaffer, but I showed the gaffer I want to play more. I have to keep training hard, for him to say, 'OK, now is your time', and then I'm ready."