Arsenal loanee Reiss Nelson is expected to be out of action for the next 10 weeks following a hamstring injury, according to Fulham manager Marco Silva.
The 25-year-old is currently on loan with the Cottagers for the rest of the season and has featured in 12 games across all competitions so far.
The Gunners academy graduate picked up a knock last Thursday and Silva confirmed yesterday that he will be spending almost three months on the sidelines.
Nelson left Arsenal on summer transfer deadline day for the Craven Cottage club, and it remains to be seen whether he still has a future at the North London club.
He has weighed in with two goals and an assist so far, and his injury is a huge blow on his development given that he was already starting to establish himself as a key player under Silva after starting the last five games before getting hurt.
Fulham could look to sign the Arsenal academy graduate permanently at the end of the season if he impresses, and the Gunners will be open to a sale from the look of things.
Nelson reunited with former Arsenal teammates Emile Smith Rowe, Alex Iwobi, and Bernd Leno at Fulham, and a permanent reunion could do his career plenty of good.
He made 23 appearances for the North Londoners last term but started only a handful and was forced to leave on loan after falling behind in the pecking order of manager Mikel Arteta.
The loan exit of Fabio Vieira was supposed to pave the way for him in midfield, but Ethan Nwaneri has since stepped up and it is hard to see Nelson forcing his way back into the first-team plans at Arsenal.
He will now look to return to full fitness sooner rather than later as he will be playing for his future afterwards.
The Englishman will prefer to remain in the Premier League even if both the Cottagers and Gunners opt against having him for next season, and he needs to impress going forward to have a chance of attracting the right suitors.