Fulham manager Mark Hughes admits he does not want to take any risks with Andrew Johnson's fitness after leaving the striker out of Fulham's 3-0 win over West Bromwich Albion.
Johnson returned from a lengthy lay-off back in October, but Hughes is determined to take a cautious approach regarding the forward.
He picked up a hamstring injury earlier in the week and Hughes opted to omit the former England international from his plans for Tuesday's vital win over West Brom.
The 29-year-old will also miss the FA Cup third round tie with Peterborough United on Saturday as Hughes does not want Johnson to be sidelined for several weeks.
"We have to be careful with Andy," said Hughes.
"He has had games in close succession, he had tightness in his hamstring and was a little sore on Monday. We took him for a scan and it came back that he had a grade one tear.
"At a push he could have played but if he had torn it completely it would be a five, six week injury and we couldn't afford that.
"It's usually eight to 10 days for a grade one."
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