FULHAM right back Kenny Tete will be out for eight to ten weeks, boss Marco Silva has confirmed.
Tete has played fifteen times this season and picked up the knock in the 2-2 draw against Liverpool at Anfield last weekend.
The Cottagers host Southampton on Sunday.
Silva said: “Some not good news about Kenny Tete. The impact to his shin was clear for anyone watching the game. A big knock and it has impacted his knee.
“It doesn’t need surgery but he is going to be out for at least eight to ten weeks. It might take him longer than that to get back to helping us at the level he has been every week.”
Silva added: “We have Timothy Castagne to replace him. He was impressive last season. When he took Tete’s place, Kenny couldn’t win it back. This season it has been the other way round as Timothy arrived a little late to pre-season.”
Centre-back Joachim Andersen is back following an Achilles tendon injury after last playing in the 4-1 defeat to Wolves at Craven Cottage on November 23.
Calvin Bassey and Tom Cairney are available after their bans.
Andreas Pereira is suspended after accumulating five yellow cards. .
Fulham have kept only two clean sheets in the Premier League this season and none at home.
“I prefer to not concede,” Silva said. “We scored fifteen games in a row, maybe the first time that’s happened in the Premier League with Fulham. But we want clean sheets.
“It’s our identity. We go into every game to win the football match. Our goal for each match is to not concede. We want our fans to enjoy it, the best way to do it is to play in a way that they would want to see.
“I’m really confident and ambitious in what we want to do. We have been proving this on a match-day. I still think there is room to improve. Let’s keep working hard so we can perform at our best level.”
