Fulham boss Roy Hodgson won't be seeking a replacement signing for injured fullback John Pantsil.

The popular Ghana right-back suffered knee ligament damage in the 2-1 defeat by Chelsea on Monday and will definitely miss the African Nations Cup.

Whether he requires surgery will determine if he plays again this term, with the most dire prognosis threatening his participation at the World Cup.

"We won't know how long John will be out for until Saturday when our specialist returns," said Hodgson.

"We want him to have a look at John before we make any decisions. The scan shows there is damage to the posterior cruciate ligament.

"We're talking about a period of rehabilitation of eight to 12 weeks, whatever happens.

"It could be that the damage is sufficiently bad that he might require an operation. If that's the case he'll be out for another four to six weeks.

"It's really bad news for us and for John as well because he was voted Ghana player of year and has been playing very well.

"Now he's looking ahead to a long period of rehabilitation."