Fulham boss Chris Coleman is hoping his own experience of a serious injury will help Jimmy Bullard’s recovery from a dislocated kneecap.

Bullard underwent an operation in America on Tuesday following the horror injury he suffered against Newcastle United earlier this month.

He is likely to be sidelined for around nine months, with the injury coming just four games into his Fulham career.

Coleman is aware of the despair the midfielder will be feeling, but hopes his advice will aid the 27-year-old’s rehabilitation.

“I told him I broke my ankle, I smashed my fibula in 16 different places, and had a compound fracture of my tibia and I ruptured my cruciate and medial ligaments, but still got back to the fringes of the first team,” Coleman told the Daily Express about the injuries he suffered in a car crash.

“But he has to get his head round it and accept that this is going to be his life for the next nine months – set himself a target. I was out for two years in total and for 18 months I was by myself in the gym looking out on to the pitch watching the guys training and having a laugh. Psychologically that’s very draining.”