ANDREAS PEREIRA will be out for the rest of the season after suffering a serious ankle injury against Manchester City.
The club are waiting for further updates on the Fulham midfielder’s injury after he underwent an MRI scan today.
The former Manchester United man, 27, left Craven Cottage in TEARS after he was stretchered off due to landing awkwardly from an aerial challenge with Manuel Akanji.
It is a crushing blow for Fulham who will also be without Tim Ream after the defender broke his arm against Pep Guardiola’s side.
Ahead of travelling to Liverpool on Wednesday, Fulham boss Marco Silva said: “It’s not good news.
“Andreas’ situation is the same as Tim, he won’t play anymore this season.
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“We are waiting for more of an update from an MRI scan to give more feedback [on the injury].
“It’s not a normal scenario. It was a really unlucky afternoon for us. But now it is a chance for the others.
“Tim and Andreas have started all our matches this season in the Premier League.
“Andreas probably started even more than Tim with the FA Cup games as well.
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“It’s going to be two big misses and make the last matches difficult for us and create difficult scenarios for us.”
Silva wants whoever deputises for the crocked duo to step up and stake a claim for a place in the starting XI next year.
The Portuguese said: “It’s a chance for the others to come [in].
“All of them are ready. We are much stronger and much more competitive [now].
“And this part of the season is for us to analyse and for us to prepare for the future because these type of things can happen.
“And they have to be ready as a squad to answer in the best way you can.”
Pereira has been in red-hot form for the West Londoners this season, registering 11 goal contributions for the club, who have already secured their Prem safety.
Only Aleksandar Mitrovic has more goal contributions than Pereira for Marco Silva’s side over the course of this season.
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Hopes of qualifying for European football next season are slipping further away as Fulham dropped down to 10th place in the table, seven points off Brighton in eighth with five games to go.
Fulham will travel to Merseyside to take on Liverpool at Anfield on Wednesday night, before returning to action in the capital against relegation-threatened Leicester the following Monday.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
