Friday 6 April 2018 09:46, UK
Bournemouth forward Junior Stanislas has been ruled out for the rest of the season after undergoing knee surgery.
The 28-year-old damaged the lateral meniscus in his left knee during last Saturday's 2-2 draw at Watford and faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines.
"Stanislas will be out for the season," said Cherries boss Eddie Howe. "He picked up a serious knee injury against Watford and has been operated on.
"We'll be looking now towards next season and whether he'll make the start. We'll have to see how his rehab goes. He's a big miss for us.
"How serious is it? At first our medical team were worried about him doing his cruciate ligament but it was the anterior, the lateral meniscus. It's probably the better of the two evils. It has been operated on and repaired, we're quite happy with how that has gone."
Howe confirmed Adam Smith will miss Saturday's game against Crystal Palace due to a knee problem but is refusing to rule him out for the remainder of their Premier League campaign.
"We're pleased with his progress," he said. "Is he out for the season too? Not at this stage. The games are obviously ticking by but we hope to get him back."
Howe will make a "very late call" on whether Simon Francis will face Palace. The Bournemouth captain missed the Watford game with a hamstring injury.
