Tyler Adams may not be back after all.
Per Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola, the U.S. men’s national team midfielder has suffered a setback in his return from a long-term hamstring injury.
“I don’t know what to call it, a setback, but he is not feeling well,” said Iraola in quotes published by the Bournemouth Daily Echo. “I couldn’t tell you if it’s exactly the same point, but it’s true that it’s his hamstring that he is not feeling well… It is true that he is going to be out for some time, for sure.”
After a nearly six-month battle with an injury that required surgery at one point, Adams made his Cherries debut mid-week, playing the final 20 minutes of Bournemouth’s 2-0 Carabao Cup win over Stoke City.
However, on Saturday the USMNT captain was not in uniform, with Iraola explaining after a 4-0 battering at the hands of Arsenal that Adams had suffered a setback.
“I think it’s the same area,” added Iraola. “He has been out for a lot of time, so we have to reassess, to reset, to take the good decisions, thinking in everything.”
Tough news for Adams, Cherries, USMNT
Adams was a big summer addition for Bournemouth, who put up a reported $25 million to bring the 24-year-old in from Leeds during the transfer window.
The Cherries have repeatedly emphasized that Adams’ ability to cover so much ground and win the ball back perfectly suits what Iraola has in mind tactically.
However, per a timeline given by the Bournemouth manager, his appearance against Stoke came after just a handful of full training sessions that only began over the past couple of weeks.
Given the amount of time Adams had been out, the results of further exams from club doctors will go a long way in indicating whether Adams has reaggravated the same injury, or if he has picked up a new knock. The latter scenario is a common one for players coming off of a long injury layoff, and may be the lesser of two evils for Adams and Bournemouth at this point.
The news is also far from ideal for the USMNT. Gregg Berhalter will have surely been looking forward to calling his captain back in for the upcoming October friendlies against Germany and Ghana.
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