Dominic Solanke could be a welcome addition to the AFC Bournemouth squad for their Premier League clash with Liverpool on Saturday.
Solanke missed the Cherries’ defeats by Manchester City and Arsenal after suffering an ankle injury in training earlier this month.
But speaking at his pre-match press conference ahead of the trip to Anfield, head coach Scott Parker said the striker would return to training on Friday.
Parker said: “Dom will train with us tomorrow, first time in full training so, hopefully, if he comes through that could be an option for us.”
New signings Joe Rothwell and Ryan Fredericks, as well as Junior Stanislas, will remain sidelined for the visit to Merseyside due to their respective injuries.
Parker added: “They still won’t make the weekend, they are still behind in that sense. They are getting very close, Ryan is probably the closest so, hopefully, he’s not too far away.”
Striker Jamal Lowe, who fell ill ahead of the Carabao Cup tie at Norwich on Tuesday, returned to training with the squad on Thursday and could be involved against Liverpool.
Liverpool, who finished as runners-up to Manchester City last season, have taken just two points from their first three games, draws against Fulham and Crystal Palace.
Asked whether he felt this was the most vulnerable Liverpool had looked for a while, Parker replied: “I’m not sure about that. Their results, in terms of what they aspire to, I’m sure they would be the first to know it’s not gone where they would have wanted.
“What I do know is you are playing against a world-class team, a well-coached team with an exceptional manager.
“They are a team that are going to look for a reaction so this is going to be one of the hardest places to go. As always, it’s a challenge for us.
“We need to try to get something out of this game, we need to go there with a real air about us and try to put into practice all the work we’ve done this week.”
Parker was the last Premier League manager to take all three points against Liverpool at Anfield, his Fulham team triumphing at the venue in March 2021.
He added: “It’s a place that can be very intimidating. We played behind closed doors so that was probably reduced somewhat.
“Playing against a high-quality team, along the way, you’ve got to show quality, you’ve got to try to assert yourself and cause them problems in areas you can.
“You’ve got to ride your luck at times, you’ve got to be defensively very good and the 11 out there are going to have to put in big performances.
“We’re going to have to get everything right and we’re going to have to be right on it to try to get something out of the game.”
