Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott has been ruled out for at least six weeks after undergoing knee surgery.
Scott, 21, felt pain during a training session after the 2-0 win against Arsenal last weekend and is now set for a lengthy spell on the treatment table.
Cherries head coach Andoni Iraola said club doctors chose to repair Scott’s damaged meniscus instead of removing it owing to the long-term benefits of the procedure.
“It’s always a bad moment when you have something like this, especially after a very good performance from Alex,” Iraola said ahead of his side’s trip to Aston Villa.
“He trained the next day but after training, he was feeling pain on the knee. He went to do the MRI and we could see that he had a tear in the meniscus.”
Scott has made just eight appearances for Bournemouth this season but impressed during his hour-long cameo against Arsenal, creating two chances.
Asked about the extent of the setback, Iraola said: “The doctors decided to have surgery and decided in the moment if it was something that could be repaired or, in other cases, they remove one part.
“Six weeks is if they remove the meniscus, if they repair it, you have to wait more because you have to spend some time without doing anything.
“It will be more [than six weeks], but I don’t know how much.”
Scott’s absence will force the Cherries to reshuffle their midfield pack when they face Villa this weekend.
However, Tyler Adams could make his long-awaited return after recovering from back surgery.
“Obviously he cannot play 90 minutes straight away, with so much time out,” Iraola said.
Luis Sinisterra will not travel due to a muscle injury but the winger could be in contention for the showdown against Manchester City on November 2.
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