Fulham Malian midfielder Mahamadou Diarra will undergo a knee surgery next week which will prevent him from playing for four weeks at least. The former Real Madrid midfielder sustained a knee injury during Mali's 3-0 win over Botswana in the African qualifier, two weeks ago, but the extent of his absence is not determined yet.

"There's a little piece of cartilage floating in his knee, so we have to operate on that in any case, and that can be three or four weeks'', Fulham boss Martin Jol was quoted as saying by Sky Sports on Thursday.

"But if there is damage to his cruciate ligament, for example, it will take a lot longer. It will take him three, four, five months at least."

The 31-year-old midfielder signed a six month deal with Fulham last February and he extended his contract for one year this summer after his impressive performance last season.

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