Marco Silva was dealt an injury blow ahead of Fulham’s trip to Newcastle United on Saturday after it was confirmed Harry Wilson faces a lengthy spell out.
Wilson limped off on the hour mark against Manchester United last Sunday, before Lisandro Martinez’s deflected effort consigned Fulham to a 1-0 defeat which kept the Cottagers in tenth in the Premier League.
Fulham manager Silva confirmed the Welshmen broke his foot, and now he faces a race against time to sign a replacement before the January transfer window slams shut on 3 February at 11pm.
He said: “Harry got a stress fracture in his fifth metatarsal, and he’s going to get surgery.
“He will be out for a long period, probably around 10 weeks, so we are looking for players.
“But time is not in our favour, and it’s not the easiest market. We are trying to find a player for Kenny Tete’s position too.”
Saturday’s 3pm kick-off at St James’ Park comes too soon for Reiss Nelson, while Kenny Tete remains out for the foreseeable future.
Silva said: “It’s a matter of time for Nelson to be in contention, but not Newcastle for sure.
“He’s a very important player for us, different from some of the wide players that we have, but we have to be careful because it’s not his first hamstring injury.
“We miss him because Alex Iwobi is playing every minute. He’s been exceptional, but he’s tired after a really busy December and January.”
Speedster Adama Traore came on in Wilson’s replacement and is likely to be called upon again given Fulham’s stretched squad.
Silva said: “We don’t have many solutions. It won’t be difficult for Eddie Howe to work who will be playing there.
“It’s a good opportunity for the others to show their quality.”
Despite misfiring against United, Fulham have also only failed to score three times this season, and Silva defended his strike force after they failed to take their chances at the weekend.
He said: “If we go for a striker to help Raul, Rodrigo, and Vinicius [before the transfer window closes], it would have to be someone with high quality.
“Many clubs are looking for them, and we all see the problems they are having.
“We need to provide more to them, and other players have to step up.
“Our last decision, our last pass, and our finishing wasn’t at the level that it should be against United.”
Fulham have been strong away from home and if they were to complete a first Premier League double over Newcastle since 2009, they already would better last season’s away tally of 18 points.
Silva said: “We are really a difficult team to beat. We embrace the challenge away from home, and we like to go for it. We have an identity and a philosophy that we normally don’t change.”
The Cottagers boss will be reunited with Newcastle’s Anthony Gordon on Saturday, a player he knows well from his days in charge of Everton, and the 47-year-old was very complimentary of the winger.
Silva said: “He’s a brilliant player, which is why he’s always linked with the big clubs every window.
“He worked with me when he was 16, and even then it was clear for everybody how much quality that had. He’s strong, capable of scoring and assisting, and he’s a hard worker.
“I’m always wishing him the best because he’s a top lad, and it’s nice to see him developing in the last few seasons.”
The Magpies bounced back from a humiliating 4-1 loss at home to Bournemouth, which ended a run of nine straight wins in all competitions, as they came from behind to beat strugglers Southampton 3-1.
Newcastle manager Eddie Howe said striker Callum Wilson is not far from a return but ruled him out for Saturday, along with Harvey Barnes who is still a few weeks away from playing again.
Silva said: “They are a physical side, and we know their strengths. They have a top striker on fire, and they have quality up front with Gordon and [Jacob] Murphy.
“[Alexander] Isak has great confidence. He’s a player that attacks the press. He’s really strong, has great timing, and has so many players around him providing for him.
“But we have to stop all of them and not just one player.”
Isak was kept quiet in the reverse fixture as Fulham ran out 3-1 winners at Craven Cottage, and a win could reignite Fulham’s push for Europe.
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