Chelsea midfielder Damien Duff could now be out for six weeks after dislocating his shoulder during last Saturday's London derby against Fulham, the club said today.
The 24-year-old Republic of Ireland winger had his shoulder put back in place in the dressing room at Loftus Road by club doctor Neil Frazer and later X-rays showed no bone damage.
Chelsea Clubcall said today that scans, to be taken when the injury had rested a few days, would show how bad ligament damage was and the length of Duff's layoff would depend on these. It could be up to six weeks, it said.
Duff, who was originally facing just a month out, could undergo arthroscopic surgery to clean the joint, Clubcall said.