Felix Magath has said that he would like to see Brede Hangeland back in Fulham's squad next weekend.
The Cottagers captain was forced off early following a clash of heads with teammate Kieran Richardson during the side's 3-1 defeat to Chelsea yesterday afternoon.
"It was a big problem our captain was injured and wasn't there in the second half. I don't know how Brede is," FourFourTwo.com quotes the manager as saying.
"I hope he will come back and join us next week. I don't think we would have made such mistakes with Brede. He is the heart of the team, and it was under control with him.
"He is a very important player for us. He is going to hospital so we have to wait. We hope he will be back next week to stabilise us."
Fulham remain at the bottom of the Premier League table following the loss.