Justin Kluivert is still an injury doubt for Bournemouth’s Premier League clash against West Ham.
Despite starting and playing the full 90 minutes of Bournemouth’s 2-1 FA Cup quarter-final defeat at home to Manchester City last Sunday, Kluivert missed Wednesday night’s surprise loss at the hands of relegation-threatened Ipswich.
A return to the matchday squad for Saturday’s trip to the capital has not been completely ruled out, but Cherries boss Andoni Iraola admits it will be difficult for the 25-year-old to even make the substitutes bench at the London Stadium.
“Justin is also going to be difficult, I wouldn’t say it’s a ‘definitely not’ like Ryan,” the Spaniard said in the pre-match press conference.
“We’ll see today if he can train with us and help us from the bench at least but he feels tight so it’s difficult.”
The Dutch forward is enjoying a stellar season for Cherries, netting 13 goals and registering eight assists so far in 33 appearances across all competitions and has been a key reason behind Iraola’s side being in the hunt for European qualification.
Bournemouth remain without the likes of Enes Unal, Marcus Tavernier and Luis Sinisterra, while Ryan Christie is set to miss the remainder of the season after undergoing surgery.
“Ryan Christie is going to be out,” Iraola added. “Ryan’s situation is worrying because he has been dealing with a groin issue, the pubis, the abductor, a little bit of everything since the beginning of the season.
“He’s so honest and he wants to push, even with pain he has been playing, and he’s played very well for a lot of time.
“I think it’s a moment where his body is telling him that maybe it’s time.
“We are trying to go with him until the end of the season but the other day, against Brighton, there were moments where he felt he couldn’t anymore.
“That’s probably something that we have to analyse, there is a chance we decide that he should have the surgery now, recover, take his time and be ready for next season.
“It’s not something that we’ve decided but it’s a situation that we have to analyse well because I think his body is telling him he’s pushed it a lot.”
