Fulham star Joao Palhinha was forced off injured in his side’s pre-season friendly clash against Brentford on Sunday evening, sparking fears a summer move could be off the cards.
The Portuguese has been touted for a summer departure from Craven Cottage after an outstanding debut season in the Premier League, with West Ham being told they will have to pay £60m by Fulham.
However, an injury in pre-season could scupper those plans with Palhinha walking wounded on the stroke of half-time at the Lincoln Financial Field with his arm in a makeshift sling.
Palhinha contested for the ball near the centre circle but came off worse as he immediately hit the deck holding his shoulder in pain.
Team medics were quickly rushed onto the pitch as the 28-year-old writhed in agony with it obvious that he would no longer be able to carry on in the friendly clash.
Fulham star Joao Palhinha was forced off injured in his side’s pre-season friendly clash against Brentford on Sunday evening
Palhinha (middle) had his arm supported in a makeshift sling as he walked off the pitch
Fulham’s combative midfielder grimaced in agony as he got back to his feet and was escorted off by physios who will begin an in-depth investigation to discover the severity of his injury.
Palhinha’s left-arm was placed in a makeshift sling with his forearm propped up against his body by his shirt being rolled upwards.
He was escorted by a team of physios down the tunnel in Philadelphia and kept his arm positioned in it’s support throughout the venture back towards the changing room.
A serious injury could turn into disaster for both Palhinha and Fulham with a lengthy spell on the treatment table the only outcome if a dislocated shoulder is confirmed to be the problem.
Fulham boss Marco Silva revealed after the match that a scan will take place on Monday to discover the severity of his injury, stating: ‘Unfortunately, it doesn’t look good. It looks like he has dislocated his shoulder.
‘Tomorrow [Monday] he has a scan, hopefully it is not a long-term injury.’
A team of Fulham medics escorted the midfielder off the pitch at the Lincoln Financial Field
Palhinha could require surgery if it is confirmed he has dislocated his shoulder
Shoulder dislocations often require surgery that is followed up by extensive rehabilitation in an effort to heal the damaged muscle and ligaments.
A sling is usually worn in the aftermath of surgery to prevent a recurrence and a full recovery can take up to six months, meaning Palhinha would miss the first half of the new Premier League season.
That would likely see interested parties look elsewhere for midfield alternatives with West Ham needing to find an immediate replacement for Declan Rice after he left to join Arsenal.
Palhinha was one of the English top-flight’s top performing midfielders last season and made 35 league appearances, scoring three goals as Fulham finished in the top half of the Premier League standings.
