Fulham’s Cairney nursing another knee problem

The bad news is that Tom Cairney is sidelined with a knee problem again.

The good news is the Fulham captain is not suffering with the same knee that kept him out for a large chunk of the 2017-18 season.

In fact, Cairney has been nursing the current injury since the 2-2 draw with MK Dons in a pre-season friendly at the Motspur Park training ground at the end of August.

The Scotland intentional stuck it out through 11 appearances so far, the last at Newcastle in December, but finally surrendered to the inevitable.

Head coach Scott Parker admitted Cairney has another problem to solve before he returns to the first-team fray.

He said: “I don’t think it’s the same knee (as before).

“It’s an issue that came up in a friendly game a few months ago that we had at the training ground and he’s been nursing it a bit.

“It’s got to the point where it’s little bit irritable and it’s holding him back.”

Fulham without Cairney intend to show the same determination at Chelsea on Saturday that gained them a 1-1 draw with Spurs on Wednesday.

“A lot of teams stay up in this division by showing that emotion that passion, that steel and siege mentality,” Parked added.

“But we have got is quality; we’ve also got a style.

“Chelsea has attack line an abundance of quality and we need to stand up to them challenges and embrace them like we did at Spurs and at places like Leicester.”