Fulham boss Scott Parker says captain Tom Cairney is “struggling" with an ongoing knee problem and could face weeks on the sidelines.

Cairney has not featured for Fulham since the 1-1 draw at Newcastle on December 19, with Joachim Andersen taking the armband in his absence.

Parker said before the Chelsea game on January 14 that Cairney had a slight knee issue after missing the FA Cup third-round clash with QPR and the league game against Tottenham, but the injury seems to have worsened.

“He's struggling a little bit at the moment, Tom," the Fulham manager said.

“He's got an ongoing issue at the moment and it's becoming a little bit of a problem really, so we're going to refer him and get to see some specialists and get an opinion on that.

“I don't foresee Tom being around for probably a few weeks from now at the earliest, and I probably won't have a clearer picture on that until we really get some information back from some specialists."