Hopes are high that Steve Cook and Sam Surridge will be fit for the Cherries’ Saturday Championship starter, though Joshua King is unavailable due to a knock sustained on international duty.
Bournemouth begin their 2020/21 campaign against Blackburn Rovers at Vitality Stadium, with Jason Tindall speaking in his pre-match press conference about the players he hopes to have at his disposal for the fixture.
“There are a couple who will be going out with the physio today to see how they come through and hopefully they’ll be okay,” he said.
“Steve Cook and Sam Surridge missed the match at West Ham last week and we’re hoping that they both come through okay.
“Josh King is good, I’m in regular contact with Josh. He’s been away with his country and picked up a little knock so he won’t be available this weekend but I’m looking forward to having him back with the group next week.”
The manager believes he has a strong group ahead of the restart and is staying calm in his pursuit of bringing players in to join his set up.
“We’ve got a good squad,” he said. “There are some very good players who have left the football club, players who are very difficult to replace. But we have a very good squad here and from the pre-season performances I’ve been very pleased with what I’ve seen.
“Do I want to bring in a couple of new players? Of course, you need quality players to call upon at any time. We’ve identified two or three players who we think could enhance the group but we don’t want to jump in and make any rash decisions.
“The transfer window still had a few weeks to go and we have plenty of time to bring in the right players.”
Tindall was boosted last weekend by the return from injury of Chris Mepham, the centre-back playing just ten minutes of competitive football since January but starting in Saturday’s pre-season win at West Ham.
“Meps is doing well, it was great to have him back a few days prior to the West Ham game and came through with no problems,” explained the manager.
“He was out for some time before that but to see how he performed was a great boost for us.”
Charlie Daniels has also continued his rehabilitation, with Tindall excited to see the full-back return to the training pitches.
“Chaz has only joined in parts of a few sessions, just to integrate himself slowly,” he said. “The injury Chaz had was a long-term injury and it’s important we manage him in the right way, that’s what’s happened this week. It’s been great to see him out there on the training ground.”
With Tindall’s task now to select his best side for Saturday’s match with Rovers, the boss reiterated the key roles all the members in his squad will have in the months to come.
“It’s every manager’s worst nightmare to pick just 11 players from a really good squad,” he said.
“We’ve got some fantastic players and some great talent and I’ve been excited watching them in training and in our pre-season games, with the amount of games we’ve got this season every player is important and will play their part this season.”
