Bournemouth full-back Ethan Laird has his chance to prove his fitness to boss Scott Parker over the international break after suffering some injury setbacks.
The right-back joined the Cherries on loan from Manchester United in January after impressing at Swansea City in the first half of the season.
Before joining, Laird suffered a thigh injury whilst in his last month as a Swans player, delaying his move to the south coast further.
The defender isn’t necessarily injured but has been low in fitness since joining due to the difficulty in managing his long-lasting hamstring problem, which he has been carrying for a good part of two years now, along with the thigh problem that he picked up this season.
Now, Dorset Live reports that amid the uncertainty regarding his fitness, the Bournemouth loan man will get the chance to prove he’s fit for action over the course of the international break.
Laird has played a total of just 40 minutes as a Bournemouth player over two games while he struggles with fitness.
The 20-year-old has featured in a matchday squad recently against Reading but didn’t get any minutes before he was left out of the 18-man squad just one game later.
Speaking on the recent absences of Laird, Parker said at the start of the month:
“It’s physical really, he has been out for a long, long time. And you probably don’t really get a real gauge on that until you get into the game.”
Other options…
Despite the loss of a good player in Laird for large parts, the Cherries are loaded in the right-back position.
Jack Stacey and Adam Smith have been the most featured men to occupy the position, and both have been on great form.
Bournemouth would get a selection boost should Laird become fit again as they look to gain automatic promotion to the Premier League.
Next up for Parker’s side is a home tie against Bristol City after the international break on 2nd April, and with 16 places separating the two sides, the Cherries will surely fancy themselves to maintain the gap in 2nd place from 3rd-placed Luton Town.
