Ethan Laird was left out of Bournemouth's squad for their 1-1 draw with Peterborough United shortly after making his comeback from injury.
The versatile right wing-back impressed with Swansea City during the opening half of the current campaign but was sent to the Cherries by Manchester United for the second half of the season.
Laird has sustained a pair of injuries since leaving south Wales but recently featured as a substitute in his new side's matches against Stoke City and Preston North End.
But he was left on the sidelines on Tuesday night as Scott Parker's men missed the chance to pull two points clear of the play-off places.
"He just wasn’t in the squad. I just feel that he needs work," said Parker, as quoted by the Bournemouth Echo.
"He needs a bit more work really to get to the levels of what we ask of our full-backs, to get to the level for him to perform at his optimum and us to all see the best Ethan Laird.
"So that was a decision I made, for him to do that. I’ve explained the situation to Ethan. He understands it as well. He gets it.
"He’s been out for a long time. He’s come into the football club and not kicked a ball or been in training for a long time, because obviously he came here injured and then picked up another injury.
"So we just need to take some air with him, take some oxygen. Want him to relax and I just want to do the best by him and get him in a place where he is going to be the player that we signed."
Parker remains confident that Laird can make an impact in the final months of the season on the south coast of England.
As for the Swans, they have significantly benefited from having Cyrus Christie in their ranks since Laird's departure.
The Republic of Ireland international - who was ineligible to face parent club Fulham on Tuesday night - has brought some much-needed experience to the club since joining on loan in the opening month of the year.
He has also provided a real threat in the final third, with Christie scoring two goals in his 11 outings to date.
Russell Martin has made no secret of his desire to see Christie sign a permanent deal with Swansea in the summer once his current Fulham contract expires.
And while Laird will no doubt enjoy a fine career in the game, the January turnaround could well leave Swansea better off in both the short and long term.
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