Paul Heckingbottom admits Chris Basham injury will impact Sheffield United's season

Basham appeared to break his ankle in the first half at Craven Cottage and required extensive medical attention before the game resumed.

United manager Heckingbottom admitted the injury would impact their season.

“No one wants to see that ever. I’ve been involved in it on the pitch with one of my team-mates, but when it’s one of your own players it’s far worse and it’s tough,” Heckingbottom said.

“In the second half we were thinking of Basham and were trying to get points for him.

“It’s terrible, it’s horrific.

“Of course it’s going to affect us, it’s going to for the season.”

A post on Basham’s Instagram account on Sunday said: “Devastated with my injury in yesterday’s game, had my first operation to clean things up and will have a second this week to make things right…

“Would like to thank the football world for their support in messages and social media posts, all my close friends and family.

“(Thanks) to Sheffield United for taking care of me and @fulhamfc for their support in the process. @timream5 for being there and putting football aside. Catch up with updates in the coming weeks.”

The Yorkshire club are still searching for their first win of the season and sit at the bottom of the Premier League with just one point on the board.

Heckingbottom challenged his players to stop the rot, saying no one would feel sorry for them after another defeat extended their losing run to four games.

“You get what you deserve and we are where we deserve to be,” he added.

“It’s only us who can get ourselves out of it and that’s why we are down there. We have to fight and wait for those moments to turn them and capitalise on them.

“No one is going to feel sorry us.

“Our next opponents are not going to worry about the three players we have lost this week or the fact that we have conceded and lost points.

“We have to enjoy it in every game. Even the players who are having a tough time, you have to enjoy it, when you’re up against top players you have to enjoy the challenge

“We have fought very hard to be here, we want to fight and to compete.”

Marco Silva’s Fulham had 20 shots on goal in the game and the manager called on his attacking players to be more clinical.

He said: “When we get the ball into certain areas the striker has to be there to tap it in. We deserved everything right up until the finish.

“In some moments we should have done something completely different in the last moments.

“We are creating more and the goals have to come if you are creating the number of chances we are.

“It was a game where we could have scored more goals. But we got three and we have to be happy with three.”

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