Ritchie injury must be giving Howe a headache

There is nothing much worse than knowing you have a star player that can win you games and not be able to call upon his services. Much of Eddie Howe's pre-season ideas for how the team would play probably evolved around a fit and healthy Matt Ritchie, after all the player has been player of the season two year's in a row in the lower divisions.

Matt at the Gladsands stadium at the weekend.

In some ways Bournemouth have been fortunate to be able to field the talent of new stars like Ryan Fraser and Mohamed Coulibaly as cover for the former Swindon ace. The lucrative investment of Maxim Demin is no better seen that in the players that are now at the club. Yet, I am sure that if there is one player Eddie could have wrapped in cotton wool over the summer to be fresh for the Championship campaign it would have been Matt Ritchie.

Sadly, Matt's thigh injury which he sustained in the pre-season FC Zuruch match just has not cleared up sufficiently for him to make a league appearance yet. With the various setbacks he is now said to have had over the injury in perhaps trying to come back too fast, it is likely that Ritchie will be missing a few more games yet. We know Eddie Howe always plays his cards near to his chest, but on this one he either did not want to say how bad the injury was or more likely, he felt that Matt really could be ready at any moment and then was told Matt was still feeling some pain and the leg was still not quite right.

While it does no good for any team to rely on one player, sorry Spurs - perhaps you'll find another Gareth Bale - it would certainly be a massive bonus if AFCB can get Ritchie back playing. He would be like a new signing.