Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe has promised Charlie Daniels that the club will do everything they can for him as he comes to terms with a new knee injury.
The left-back missed the end of last season after undergoing surgery on his patella, so was understandably distraught when he was hurt 37 minutes into Sunday’s 3-1 home defeat to Manchester City.
Daniels went down holding his other knee after putting in a cross against the champions and left the field on a stretcher.
Bournemouth boss Howe says the 32-year-old defender, who has made 129 Premier League appearances for the club, is still waiting to see how serious the injury is and will be assessed later this week by a knee specialist.
Daniels had been expected to spend six months on the sidelines after the surgery to restabilise his left kneecap, following his training ground injury back in April.
But he rehabilitated in record time and played 79 minutes of a pre-season game against Lazio to signal his readiness to return to the fold in competitive action.
The ex-Tottenham Hotspur youngster missed the opening day clash with Sheffield United but earned a starting berth for the Cherries’ 2-1 victory at Villa Park a week later.
He now faces another long road back and, at the age of 32, it could mean that he finds younger legs have taken over his position by the time he regains full fitness. “Football can be a very cruel sport in so many different ways, you have a player who has worked so hard to get back and done everything to get back.”
Daniels has had a tough 2019 with the injuries and the loss of his father with Howe fully aware of how much support he might need to overcome this latest devastating blow.
He told afcb.co.uk: “He’s had such a tough year but now we’ll do everything we can for him to get back and we’ll support him in every way we can.”
