BREAKING NEWS..JOK SAYS IT’S NO BREAK

SLAVISA JOKANOVIC is desperate for the international break so he can put his defenders through a mini pre-season.

The Fulham boss did not have as much time as he would have liked to work with his defensive unit ahead of the new season.

Alfie Mawson arrived injured from Swansea while Calum Chambers, Tim FosuMensah, Joe Bryan and goalkeeper Sergio Rico (above) all arrived in the final 48 hours of the transfer window.

Jokanovic said: “We will try to use the international break as a pre-season because I didn’t have the opportunity to work with many players before the Premier League started .

“During the international break 95 per cent of my defensive line are going to stay with me.

“This is the time when I can do some extra work with them and tell them what we need to do to improve.

“All the players need time to adapt to our style, to adapt to how we play.”

The extra time on the training pitch should be especially useful for £20million centre-back Mawson.

The start of his Fulham career was delayed until his midweek debut in the EFL Cup against Exeter on Tuesday following knee surgery at the end of last season. He could now make his Fulham Premier League debut at Brighton today.

Jokanovic said: “He is not 100 per cent and not at his best level but he has enough experience and showed he is really competitive when I used him in midweek.

“He is closer to being able to start than a few days ago.”

And the Fulham gaffer believes 24-year-old Mawson, who made 65 appearances in a Swansea shirt, has the experience the Premier League new boys need.

“We believe he has characteristics that we want,” Jokanovic said.

“He is one of the players with Premier League experience. He can be a really important player for us.

“He is a perfect addition for my team and we believe he can be really successful and make us more successful too.”