Injured Fulham striker Bobby Zamora is facing a longer spell on the sidelines than first expected.
Zamora, who has only just put pen-to-paper on a new four-year deal with the London club, was expected to be out for four months after undergoing surgery on a broken fibula sustained in the weekend win over Wolves.
But the England international has also suffered ankle ligament damage and that means he will not return until February at the earliest – a major blow for Cottagers boss Mark Hughes.
Hughes said: “Bobby’s had his operation. He will now be in bed with his leg elevated for two weeks.
“The operation showed ligament damage so we’re probably now looking at five months.
“We want to help Bobby get back quickly and there are no concerns over his ability to get back to the level he was before he got injured.”