John Paintsil is hoping for a top-six finish for Fulham this season as the Ghana international reveals his happiness to go into his third season at Craven Cottage.

The Ghanaian has seen Fulham develop into a side that last season reached the final of the Europa League since joining from West Ham in 2008.

"It's not long now until the new season gets up and running. This will be my third as a Fulham player and I'm very excited about what could unfold," he said.

"It will be a challenge, but for me I would love to see the club push as close as they can for a top-six finish.

"I believe in this squad of players and we have shown before what we can achieve as a team.

"I know that people will say that it will be difficult, but we have to be ambitious and have belief in our ability - otherwise what is the point in going out there?"

After dismissing reports of a move away from Fulham, Paintsil is focusing on the new campaign with Mark Hughes having taken over the reins from previous manager Roy Hodgson.

"I have said many times that Roy Hodgson was someone that made me the player that I am today, and that I am very grateful. But we have to move on - this is what happens in football," said Paintsil.

"The appointment of Mark Hughes is a very exciting one, and I'm looking forward to seeing how this team evolves under his guidance.

"He's a very good manager. I think most of the players have come up against his teams in the past and from those experiences we know that he has a lot of quality.

"He's someone that commands a lot of respect and is tactically very astute."