Howe fearing the worst over Wilson knee injury

AFC Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe fears the worst over the seriousness of the knee injury Callum Wilson picked up at the Britannia Stadium.

The striker, who has netted five goals in seven Premier League appearances, went down early in the first half in his side’s 2-1 defeat at Stoke City on Saturday after a fairly tame challenge with Philipp Wollscheid and, despite extensive treatment and his attempts to continue, was eventually carried off on a stretcher.

Howe insisted the extent of the setback is not yet clear, but is concerned having already lost Tyrone Mings and Max Gradel to long-term injuries this season.

He said: “It doesn’t look good at this moment in time. He’s in a brace and on crutches and he’s in a bit of pain, there’s a bit of swelling there so we won’t know until he gets a scan and properly looked at.

“It’s worrying for us, it looks like it might be another serious knee injury.

“All I know is that he took a whack to the knee, felt he was okay to carry on and then collapsed in agony and I don’t think that is a good sign and joint injures you’ve got to be so careful.”

Having overseen a solid attacking performance in the 2-0 win over Sunderland last weekend, Howe’s side were noticeably slower out of the blocks at Stoke.

And Howe claims the 23-year-old’s departure played a key role in disrupting his team’s start to the game, as he said: “I didn’t think we were particularly good first half, I was disappointed.

“I know it was only a few minutes old before Callum’s injury and I think the shape of the side was slightly changed by his departure but we didn’t react to it and it took us until half-time to regroup.

“I was really pleased with the second-half performance, I thought we were dominant with the ball and created a number of chances.

“At 1-1 you felt there was only one team going to win it so to sit here having lost is hugely disappointing.”