Fulham manager Claudio Ranieri has revealed defender Alfie Mawson injured himself while putting on his boots.
Mawson, the £20million summer signing from Swansea, has been sidelined since December 29 with a mystery knee injury.
And prior to Fulham’s clash with Tottenham on Sunday, Ranieri revealed the bizarre reason for his absence.
“He needs more time. How long? I don’t know,” said Ranieri.
“It was a very strange injury. He just changed his boots. It was unbelievable.”
Meanwhile, Ranieri seems to have lost patience with striker Aboubakar Kamara following his yoga bust-up with Aleksandar Mitrovic.
Kamara and Mitrovic reportedly had to be pulled apart by team-mates after an angry exchange during what was supposed to be a relaxation session last week.
The incident came just a couple of weeks after they had argued over who would take a penalty against Huddersfield.
It was an argument Kamara won, only to subsequently miss the spot-kick.
Ranieri attempted to play down the row, but made it clear Kamara is no longer in his plans.
“It wasn’t a battle, it was a chat and something that happens in every team, nothing more,” said the Italian.
“I don’t think it was about the penalty.
“Kamara is not in the squad. I prefer to think about it and then I will do the best for the team.”
Ranieri has been linked with a move for Chelsea’s former England defender Gary Cahill as he attempts to guide Fulham out of the relegation zone.
However, the Italian said: “Gary is a very important player and for us it would be fantastic, but I don’t know if he wants to come and fight with us.”
One piece of good news was the arrival of former Liverpool winger Ryan Babel this week.
The 32-year-old Holland international, signed from Besiktas, is set to go straight into the squad to face Spurs.
“I hope Ryan can bring his experience and strength, he’s a quality player who can score some goals because we need goals, and of course I hope he can adapt to our football as soon as possible,” said Ranieri.
“I am happy because he played for Liverpool and he knows the Premier League very well.
“He’s not fit 100 per cent so I must choose if we start with him or during the match.”
