Manchester United right-back Ethan Laird's hopes of making his debut for loan club Bournemouth against Boreham Wood in the FA Cup on Sunday evening have been quashed by a fresh injury setback.
The 20-year-old, who is held in very high regard by those inside Old Trafford, joined Bournemouth on loan for the remainder of the season last month following a successful stint at Swansea during the first half of the campaign.
Laird racked up 21 appearances in all competitions for the Swans, claiming four assists, and United felt a temporary switch to promotion-chasing Bournemouth would enhance his development further and offer him the chance to add a promotion to his CV.
However, the versatile right-sided player is still waiting to make his Cherries debut because of an going hamstring issue.
Cherries boss Scott Parker last week confirmed Laird was on the road to recovery and could be in contention to face Boreham Wood — although next weekend's Championship clash with Birmingham City was a more realistic target.
At the time, the Bournemouth boss said: "Ethan Laird is moving in the right direction.
"The weekend is too quick for him. I'm hoping we might see him in the FA Cup or he'll be available for Birmingham (on February 9)."
However, Laird's hopes of making his Bournemouth bow against the non-league side have now been crushed, with Parker confirming he has experienced a setback in his recovery programme.
"He’s had a little bit of a setback," Parker told the Daily Echo. "Hopefully not too long.
"Look, it’s not been ideal, let's get that right. It's not been ideal. He's come in and obviously had a bit of an issue with his hamstring.
"Hopefully we're not too far off, but we're just treading carefully around that a little bit."
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