AFC Bournemouth entered their fifth consecutive season in the Premier League looking to attempt to maybe challenge a top half of the table finish during the 2019/20 Premier League campaign.
It’s true that the Cherries squad is one that is somewhat in transition, moving away from the older members of the squad and blooding in the youngsters that AFC Bournemouth have heavily invested in. At times the Cherries have named their youngest ever squad in the top flight this season.
But injuries have obliterated the squad, leaving the side without many of its first-choice players, game-winners and natural on the pitch leaders.
Having moved away from veteran goalkeepers Asmir Begovic and Artur Boruc, England Under-21 goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale has impressed, but he is only 21-years of age and has only 16 Premier League games under his belt.
The entire first-choice back four of Adam Smith, Steve Cook, Nathan Ake and Charlie Daniels are now all out injured. Daniels has been out for some time, but the other three have all fallen foul of the injury crisis over the past week.
#AFCB boss Eddie Howe states Nathan Ake injury “does look like a pulled hamstring”. I also gather that Steve Cook needs an operation on his wrist injury. Likely around 4 weeks out. #BOULIV
— Kris Temple (@kristemple) December 7, 2019
To add to the #AFCB injury woes, as well as S Cook & Ake’s absences for a few weeks, I understand Adam Smith will also be missing for a considerable period 🚑
— Kris Temple (@kristemple) December 7, 2019
Summer signing Lloyd Kelly who could maybe fill a role at either left back or centre back is yet to make his Premier League debut due to injuries.
The midfield have missed David Brooks and Junior Stanislas for the entire season-to-date, whilst the Cherries first-choice forward pair of Callum Wilson and Joshua King are also out with hamstring injuries.
Shocking day for Bournemouth – not just another chastening defeat but hamstring injuries to Nathan Ake and Callum Wilson. The injury list is ridiculous ahead of the busy Christmas period.
— Gary Taphouse (@garytaphouse) December 7, 2019
AFC Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe told Sky Sports…
“…We’re going to need players to win games – you don’t win matches and get points in the Premier League without good players and we’ve got such a long injury list now that it’s obviously a big concern for the future. We’ve got games coming up thick and fast and we can’t let this run continue.
“I don’t want to make the excuse that injuries are behind everything, but you look at the number we’ve got and the quality of the players that we’re missing, I’m not sure there are many Premier League teams that could cope with that.
“It’s probably the biggest challenge we’ve ever faced since we’ve come into the Premier League, which is saying something after what we had throw at us in our first season, but I think this will be our biggest challenge.”
Your say…
Toronto John wrote…
Maybe unlucky to get those injuries, but it often seems to take longer than predicted to get guys back. S. Cook last year, what was that infection all about? Charlie dislocated knee … not typically an injury that takes six months to recover from. Brooks “just not healing right”. I honestly don’t get it … these guys are million pounds assets, but the injuries don’t seem to get addressed as they should.
But, as I also said, I never played the game. In other sports that I do know, I can understand the fine line between being hurt and being injured.
If we have lost Ake for 4-8 weeks, we are going to be without our best player during the most critical part of our season. – Join the conversation, click here.
