Fulham's Arbeloa Faces Premier League Challenge Without Tete

Alvaro Arbeloa will have to chase his first Premier League win as Fulham boss without Kenny Tete, after confirming the defender has been ruled out of Sunday’s clash with Manchester United.

The news comes on the back of a breathless midweek, where Fulham edged West Ham United 3-2 in a dramatic EFL Cup tie. That result injected some much‑needed momentum into Arbeloa’s early reign. Now comes the real examination: turning cup adrenaline into league points at Craven Cottage.

Tete ruled out, Sessegnon a doubt

Arbeloa cut straight to the point on his squad’s fitness.

“Tom is still recovering. Tete won’t be available. We need to see if Sess (Ryan Sessegnon) is available for Sunday,” he told Fulhamish.

Tete’s issue stems from a blow to the head at Anfield.

“It’s a concussion after the ball hit him in the Anfield game, so he’s still not available. I think he’ll be ready for an international break. Unfortunately, he’s not ready for a Sunday.”

The concussion protocols leave no room for risk, and Fulham will be without a player who, in recent seasons, has been regarded as the club’s first-choice right-back. Sessegnon, meanwhile, has missed the last two competitive matches and remains touch-and-go for the visit of United.

Selection picture at full-back

On paper, losing Tete sounds like a major disruption. In reality, Arbeloa’s starting plans barely move.

Tete has not been a central figure in the early weeks of Arbeloa’s tenure, his status already shifting after a summer that nearly took him to Goodison Park. A late-window move to Everton collapsed when Fulham failed to land a replacement, keeping him in West London but not restoring him to automatic starter.

Timothy Castagne is expected to keep his place on the right side of the back four, just as he has done in recent games. The bigger impact of Tete’s absence is on the bench: Arbeloa will go into a meeting with Manchester United without a recognised alternative right-back among his substitutes.

On the opposite flank, Antonee Robinson is set to continue at left-back regardless of Sessegnon’s fitness. Even if Sessegnon is passed fit, he is unlikely to dislodge the ever-present American for such a high-profile fixture.

So Arbeloa walks into Sunday with a clear shape, a thinned-out bench at full-back, and a first league win still out of reach. Against Manchester United, that’s a bold hand to play.