Brian McBride may be on course to return to the Fulham first team by Christmas,
but manager Lawrie Sanchez still has an injury crisis, with eight players on the
sidelines.
The American striker, 35, who was hurt in the act of scoring against Middlesbrough
in only the third game of the Premier League season, has had a ruptured quadriceps
muscle surgically repaired and is confident of returning to full training in a few
weeks.
The story has become a familiar theme this season, with Craven Cottage at times
resembling a hospital casualty ward.
Winger Lee Cook, who has yet to play for the club since his £3 million summer move
from Queens Park Rangers, still faces up to six more weeks on the sidelines after
damaging a knee.
Kasey Keller, the reserve goalkeeper and like McBride another US international veteran,
is out for 10 weeks after surgery on a torn bicep tendon in his left shoulder.
Then there is midfielder Jimmy Bullard, who has been out for more than a year after
damaging cruciate knee ligaments early last season.
The former Wigan Athletic player is still up to eight weeks away from rejoining
the first-team squad for full training according to Jason Palmer, Fulham’s head
physio.
“Jimmy is training with the Under-18s and will progress over the next few weeks
to reserve-team training sessions,” Palmer said .
French centre half Philippe Christanval, out all season with a knee injury, has
now damaged a toe which may need an operation while Ian Pearce, with a ongoing calf
problem, is likely to be out for the rest of the year.
Defender Moritz Volz has seen specialists in both London and his native Germany
over his injured shoulder and is expected to be back training in 10 days, but midfielder
Simon Elliott is on a long-term programme of recovery from calf and Achilles problems
and could miss another full season.
Nathan Ashton, 20, has given Fulham some brighter news, however. After making his
debut at left back in the 3-1 win over Reading he pulled a muscle in his left leg
and missed last week’s defeat at Liverpool, but Palmer said: “With the international
break, we have used the time to make sure he will be available for our next game
against Blackburn.”