(Reuters) - Fulham's new signing Alfie Mawson will miss the start of the new Premier League season as the centre back recovers from a knee injury, the promoted club's manager Slavisa Jokanovic said.
The highly-rated Mawson joined Fulham from Swansea City this month in a deal that the British media said was worth 20 million pounds ($25.98 million).
The 24-year-old has been ruled out of at least three league matches as he battles for fitness after having surgery in May.
"He won't be ready. We will be waiting between two and three weeks for him to start working with us," Jokanovic told the London Standard.
"I don't expect he can help us before September."
Apart from Fulham's opening league match against Crystal Palace on Aug. 11, Mawson will also be absent for the games against Tottenham Hotspur and Burnley.
Fulham are back in the top flight for the first time since the 2013-14 season.
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; editing by Amlan Chakraborty)