Johnson ruled out for 'majority of the season'

Andrew Johnson, the Queen's Park Rangers striker, will miss most of the season after suffering a cruciate ligament injury in Saturday's goalless draw with Chelsea.

The 31-year-old moved to Loftus Road at the start of the summer after failing to agree a new deal at former club Fulham but now looks set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

A QPR spokesman said: "Johnson was forced from the fray in the 33rd minute and is now likely to be sidelined for the majority of the season. Scans revealed an anterior cruciate ligament injury."

Johnson has seen the last few years of his career curtailed by injuries and missed a large chunk of the 2009-10 campaign for Fulham due to another serious knee injury.

The former Everton forward was only making his second league start for the club and the severity of the injury is a major setback for manager Mark Hughes.

QPR have collected only two points from their first four Premier League fixtures and face a tough trip to Tottenham on Sunday.

Hughes will also have to deal with the loss of two other players injured in the Chelsea game. On-loan Manchester United full-back Fabio da Silva and central defender Anton Ferdinand both suffered hamstring injuries and are out for at least two weeks.