Source: Bournemouth_Echo
Cherries: Lovell aiming for New Year return
EDDIE Howe is hoping long-term injury victim Steve Lovell will be ready for a return in the New Year after undergoing fresh ankle surgery. The Cherries boss reported that Lovell, who is his younger brother, passed a thorough medical prior to being snapped up on a one-year contract in the summer. But Howe revealed that complications resulting from a routine clear-out operation in April led to the striker breaking down on the second day of pre-season training. The former SPL star, who scored goals north of the border for the likes of Dundee and Aberdeen, has since been restricted to a frustrating watching brief due to the ankle problem. Howe told the Echo: We've had a couple of complications from that operation and, through no fault of his own, he's found himself struggling to get fit. He's been to see a couple of different surgeons and, hopefully, this time he's got the problem sorted and he's now on the road to recovery. The Cherries boss admits it is going to be a long process for Lovell, but he is keen to see the 29-year-old return as soon as possible to bolster the club's attacking resources. Howe added: It was a big blow for us because we had real high hopes for Steve. When you look at his pedigree and the goals he's scored and the level he's scored his goals at, we felt he was going to be a really big player for us this year. But that's how football goes sometimes. It can happen to anybody. Steve's done nothing wrong but, unfortunately, he's had to spend a lot of time trying to find out the cause and extent of his injury. In August, Lovell offered to only draw 50 per cent of his monthly salary until such time as he is fit to return to action.