With Gradel, Mings and now Wilson all out with long term injuries, skipper Tommy Elphick has gone on record to say that the Cherries squad can cope with the absence of these key players.
Elphick is quoted in the Bournemouth Evening Echo as saying: "We have been successful over the past three years due to the mentality of the squad and from the strength of what we call the underbelly. Both this season and last, the manager has made a host of changes when we have played in the League Cup and the difference between the teams has been minimal. I understand people are going to be concerned at losing a player of Callum’s importance. Him, Max and Harry are all big players. Don’t get me wrong, if Callum was at Chelsea and got injured, he would be a huge loss for them. But this is why we build a squad. The ones who haven’t played as much as they would have wanted have always been ready to step up to the plate when needed. We will be there to support the injured players and try to keep them involved as much as possible. We must look at this as a positive for someone else to show what they are made of. It is incredibly bad luck to lose three players to such serious injuries in a short space of time. But it is what it is and we’ve got to get on with it. No matter how much we talk about it, it isn’t going to change the situation".