Wednesday 31 July 2019 18:49, UK
Bournemouth midfielder David Brooks has been ruled out for two to three months after suffering an ankle injury that requires surgery.
The Wales international rolled his ankle during Bournemouth's 3-1 pre-season win at Brentford on Saturday and has been booked in for an operation this week.
The Cherries have put a 12-week recovery timescale on the midfielder who shone last season after making an £11.5m move from Sheffield United.
Brooks scored seven goals in 30 Premier League appearances and has been linked with Manchester United and Tottenham.
The injury to the 22-year-old also spells bad news for Wales ahead of their Euro 2020 qualifying programme resuming in September.
Brooks, who was named 2018 Wales player of the year and scored his first international goal during the 2-1 defeat to Croatia in June, will miss his country's next three qualifiers.
He is out of the visit from Azerbaijan in September, as well as the trip to Slovakia and the home game against Croatia in October.
Brooks is the latest Bournemouth player to face a spell on the sidelines after midfielder Dan Gosling was ruled out on Tuesday for three months with a hip injury.
The 29-year-old, who has been an integral part of Bournemouth's team since joining from Newcastle in 2014, underwent an operation at the weekend after suffering the injury in training.
Bournemouth's new signing Lloyd Kelly has also damaged his ankle during training, and will definitely miss the Premier League opener at home to Sheffield United on August 10.
