Cottagers wait on star's rib injury

Martin Jol has confirmed that striker Dimitar Berbatov played with a suspected broken rib in Fulham's 3-3 draw at Reading on Saturday.

The Cottagers' chief watched the Bulgarian hitman help his side back into the game at the Madejski Stadium before scoring the third goal which looked set to seal maximum points. However, the Royals struck back to earn a share of the spoils in a thrilling six-goal encounter as Jol was left to reflect on the possibility of being without his influential £5million summer signing if his rib proves to be broken. Ahead of an assessment on Berbatov this week, Jol said: "Berbatov was good. He can play in midfield, in the hole and up front. "He needed an injection to play the second half and showed a lot of character. "There was a problem with his rib which was very painful. Maybe it was broken; we'll have to take a look at it. "We asked him to play on for 10 or 15 minutes but he stayed on the pitch and it was good to see him score the third goal."