Andoni Iraola confirmed that AFC Bournemouth midfielder Hamad Traore will be a long-term absentee after spending time in hospital with malaria.
The Bees have been impressive recently and are on a four-match winning run in the Premier League.
The 23-year-old was due to have been a part of the Ivory Coast squad for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations to be hosted in the country. Instead he will now spend time recovering at home as well as undergoing further tests, and is unlikely to be available to the manager for the foreseeable future.
“Right now he is recovering much better,” said Iraola. “The past few weeks have been a tough situation for him personally and, from a sporting perspective, he will be out for some time.
“We have to make sure that he is OK and he recovers properly. He will be out for some time.”
Traore joined the club during the last January transfer window, initially on loan from Serie A side Sassuolo with an obligation for the deal to be made permanent in the summer.
He has found opportunities limited both under Iraola and former boss Gary O’Neil, appearing only 10 times in the Premier League during his first 12 months in England.
The manager hinted at continuing to field a settled side when his team travel to north London to face Tottenham on Sunday.
Bournemouth are on a run of six wins in their last seven Premier League games, a streak that has seen them rise from the relegation places to 12th, outside of the top half only on goal difference.
Lewis Cook could return to the team after missing the Boxing Day win at home to Fulham.
The 26-year-old went off with an adductor injury during the 3-2 victory away at Nottingham Forest a week ago but the problem did not turn out to be serious.
None of injured quartet Lloyd Kelly, Milos Kerkez, Tyler Adams and Ryan Fredericks are yet ready to return, meaning the line-up at Spurs is likely to be similar to the one that won convincingly 3-0 against Marco Silva’s team.
“We are not changing a lot of players at the moment because at the end there are just three or four days between matches,” said Iraola. “The only player we could recover maybe is Lewis Cook.
“The rest are not close to being with the group, so that could be the only change but it is not guaranteed.
“We have to see tomorrow if he can train with us and help us.”
PA
