Eddie Howe has revealed that new signing Lewis Hall is “some way short of being match fit” ahead of Saturday’s trip to Brighton.
This explains why the 18-year-old was left out of the squad for Sunday’s 2-1 defeat to Liverpool and suggests it may be a few weeks yet until he’s handed a start.
Hall has trained with the group since completing a loan-to-buy move from Chelsea this time last week, but Howe has revealed that he barely played over pre-season, suggesting he’ll need time to get up to speed with the rest of the group.
With Sven Botman likely to miss Saturday’s trip to the Amex, seeing Dan Burn fill in alongside Fabian Schar, we can expect to see Matt Targett at left-back this weekend if the Dutchman does miss out.
Here’s what Howe had to say about Hall’s absence on Sunday and current fitness levels:
“He’s trained with us, but he’s not played a game during pre-season.”
“He’s only trained, so he’s some way short of being match fit.”
