Fulham face Luc de Fougerolles decision after injury setback

Fulham manager Alvaro Arbeloa is hopeful Luc de Fougerolles has avoided a serious injury after the young defender was forced off against AFC Wimbledon.

The setback has created uncertainty over the 20-year-old's availability for Sunday's fixture, while Arbeloa also revealed Fulham could soon make a decision regarding his immediate future.

Regular first-team football will be central to those discussions, with the Fulham boss stressing that de Fougerolles needs to be playing every week.

Fulham are still waiting to establish the extent of the problem after de Fougerolles was unable to complete the game against Wimbledon.

“We don’t know yet, but we hope it’s nothing serious,” Arbeloa said.

The defender is now considered a doubt for Fulham's next match on Sunday, although the club have not yet ruled him out.

“We will see with Luc, maybe he’s not ready for Sunday, we’ll see,” Arbeloa added.

The uncertainty comes at an important stage of the season for the academy graduate as Fulham assess the best route for his development.

Arbeloa indicated that a decision could be made over de Fougerolles in the coming days.

“He needs to play every week, so maybe we need to take a decision over the next few days,” he explained.

The Fulham manager did not specify what that decision could involve, but his emphasis on consistent playing time raises questions over whether the defender will remain part of his first-team squad or potentially be allowed to pursue regular minutes elsewhere.

Much could depend on the severity of his injury and how Fulham's squad looks as the transfer window reaches its closing stages.

Arbeloa also confirmed that Tom Cairney remains sidelined through injury.

“Tom is still injured,” the Fulham boss said when discussing his available options.

That leaves Fulham managing multiple fitness concerns heading into Sunday's fixture, with de Fougerolles' condition now another situation for the medical staff to assess.

For the youngster, the coming days could determine both when he returns to the pitch and where he will be playing his football in the immediate future.

Fulham will assess de Fougerolles before Sunday's game while determining whether he is fit enough to feature.

The club must also decide what is best for his development. Arbeloa clearly wants the defender playing regularly, meaning the final days of the transfer window could prove significant for his immediate future.