Bournemouth Confirm Injured Duo Callum Wilson and David Brooks Will Miss a Month of Action
AFC Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe has confirmed that star players Callum Wilson and David Brooks are expected to be out of action for the next four weeks due to injury.
Wilson limped off in the dying moments of the Cherries' 2-0 victory over West Ham on January 20 and hasn't featured for the club in their last two games against Chelsea and Cardiff City.
Brooks, meanwhile, who has emerged as a star for Bournemouth this season, injured his ankle whilst scoring in his side's 4-0 victory over Chelsea two weeks ago and is expected to be absent for a longer period than what was originally expected.
News of their injuries was confirmed by Howe in his pre-match press conference ahead of Saturday's game with Liverpool, where the Cherries boss admitted that four weeks was likely the minimum time out for both players.
"They have pretty similar timescales," Howe said, as quoted by Bournemouth's official website. "David has been to see a specialist and has had scans so I think around the four-week mark for him.
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"Callum had a clean-out in his knee so, again, probably around the same mark but we are not going to be able to get them back earlier than that.
"They are both big misses for us, big misses for the team and the group. They are big personalities as well so we’re very keen to get them back fit but, in the meantime, I believe we have the squad strength to cover those players.
Howe went on to confirm that Jefferson Lerma faces a late fitness ahead of the game, with the Colombian having recently been ruled out through injury as well.
"We are waiting on a fitness test for Jefferson. He’s had a niggling ankle injury for a few weeks so has been on and off with his training this week. We will wait and see whether he’s fit."
By losing the influence of their attacking duo, Bournemouth may struggle to pick up points in the coming weeks as they face a tough run of fixtures against the likes of Liverpool, Wolves, Arsenal and Manchester City.
Wilson has scored 11 goals for the Cherries in all competitions this season with the consistency of his performances attracting the attention of England manager Gareth Southgate, who handed him his first international cap against the United States in November.
Brooks has also been mightily impressive during this year's campaign, scoring six goals and providing four assists in the Premier League, offering himself as an outlet on either the left or right wing.
