Tino Livramento may not be fit for Saturday’s clash with Sheffield United, with Eddie Howe revealing that he is “still struggling” with an ankle injury.
The right-back was on the bench for last night’s 2-0 defeat at Crystal Palace, but it’s emerged that he would’ve only come on in an “emergency” and remains a doubt for this weekend’s game.
Howe is “not sure” if he’ll be able to start and admits it’s a “high risk” situation, but he was delighted to have Callum Wilson back in action, describing him as the “big positive” from Selhurst Park after he came through unscathed.
“Tino is still struggling with his ankle,” said Howe. “That’s why he didn’t come onto the pitch. He was there for an emergency, really. Can he play at the weekend? I’m not sure. We certainly don’t want to give him a longer-term problem. He’s technically fit enough to be able to enter the pitch, but it’s sort of high risk.”
“We want to make sure that we don’t give him a longer-term problem, but in terms of what happens moving forward, it probably depends on what other players I have available.”
Asked about Wilson’s cameo after two months out, Howe said: “He’s huge. He’s a big player for us. To have that option from the bench was a rare luxury for me really, to have a striker who can come on and make a difference.
“I think he did, I think he improved our performance and did well. He looked fresh and strong, and he’s come through with no problems so that’s a big positive for us.”
