Is Dominic Solanke injured? Bournemouth star misses FA Cup defeat due to 'some issues in the knee'

28/02/2024 17:08

Bournemouth could be without top goalscorer Dominic Solanke this weekend.

The Cherries take on Burnley in an important clash at the bottom of the Premier League table but they may be missing their star man.

Solanke has been in incredible form this season

Rex

Solanke has scored 14 goals in the top flight this season, sitting joint-third in the scoring charts only behind Mohamed Salah and Erling Haaland.

Yet concerns rose over his fitness after the striker was absent from the Bournemouth squad against Leicester in the FA Cup.

Is Dominic Solanke injured?

Solanke played no part in his side's 1-0 fifth-round defeat to Leicester on Tuesday evening.

And manager Andoni Iraola gave a worrying explanation of why his talisman was missing post-game.

Iraola said: "He wasn't feeling well. He had some issues in the knee. It doesn't look very big, but he wasn't ready to be involved.

"Obviously it is never a good moment to lose your top scorer. I hope it is not something big and he can help us in the next games.

"We did an MRI just today [Tuesday], so we have to see what he has, assess him, how he wakes up tomorrow. From there, we will see.

Iraola confirmed that Solanke is struggling with an issue

AFP

"Today is when we decided not to risk him, because he wasn't feeling well. You never want to lose your top scorer.

"We hoped that he could be on the bench. But we assessed him at the last moment and he wasn't feeling well.

"When someone like Dom, who is normally training and playing every minute, it says you cannot risk it."

So it seems the results of Solanke's scan will determine if the knee issue is serious enough to keep him out against Burnley.

If it is, Bournemouth may have to juggle an injury crisis in attack, with January signing Enes Unal also struggling for fitness.

The forward was making his first Cherries start against Leicester but had to be substituted with a shoulder injury.

"Enes has gone to the hospital because he felt something in the clavicle," Iraola added. "We have to see if it's something worse but I think it will be more difficult to have Enes for the weekend."