Tom Cairney has only completed a single training session under Marco Silva, the new Fulham head coach revealed this afternoon as concerns over his captain’s injury prognosis rise.
The Scottish international has not featured for Fulham’s first team since a 1-1 draw against Newcastle last December and had to be withdrawn from full training earlier this summer after feeling discomfort with his troublesome knee injury.
As quoted by the Athletic’s Peter Rutzler, Silva told his press conference prior to the trip to Huddersfield this weekend:
“Unfortunately for me he got pain in the knee in that period and we stopped him. So it was let’s see if the next days, few weeks we hear good news about him. As you know he’s an important player for us, for the club and for me. Let’s hope we can have him as soon as possible, but in the mean time I want him 100 per cent ready to play at his best.”
The 30 year-old has been a crucial part of Fulham’s two previous promotions from the Championship, but admitted after scoring the winner against Aston Villa at Wembley in 2018 that he had played through the pain of a persistent knee problem. Promising academy graduate Fabio Carvalho looks set to have a sustained run in the first team now, with Silva waiting to see when Cairney might be able to return to full training.
A fit Cairney would be like a new signing. Not convinced it will ever happen. We need a central midfielder. Anguissa off, Francois is raw. Just get Grimes signing sorted and then we’re done and can lose the fringe and not committed.
Alas I think that TC is not going to feature prominently for us again? I agree to get him fit would be like a new signing. We need Matt Grimes TK, please sort it.
TC must be devastated. Looks like no way he is coming back till next year … Just hope for him and Fulham is not worse and this is going to be the end of his playing days.
I have also feared that he will play a small part in this season due to continuing knee injury problems.
However, what makes it even worse is that I believe it is not the same knee that caused him these problems before. It is the ‘good knee’. Having said that, I hope that info is wrong.