Fulham manager Claudio Ranieri has revealed defender Alfie Mawson injured himself while putting on his boots.
Mawson, the £15m summer signing from Swansea, has been sidelined since December 29 with a mystery knee injury.
Prior to Fulham's clash with Tottenham on Sunday, live on Sky Sports, Ranieri revealed the bizarre reason for his absence.
The Italian said: "It was a very strange injury. He just changed his boots. It was unbelievable."
"He needs more time. How long? I don't know."
Meanwhile, Ranieri seems to have lost patience with striker Aboubakar Kamara following his yoga bust-up with Aleksandar Mitrovic.
Kamara and Mitrovic reportedly had to be pulled apart by team-mates after an angry exchange during what was supposed to be a relaxation session last week.
The incident came just a couple of weeks after they had argued over who would take a penalty against Huddersfield.
It was an argument Kamara won, only to subsequently miss the spot-kick.
Ranieri attempted to play down the row, but made it clear Kamara is no longer in his plans.
"It wasn't a battle, it was a chat and something that happens in every team, nothing more," he said.
"I don't think it was about the penalty.
"Kamara is not in the squad. I prefer to think about it and then I will do the best for the team."