Bournemouth head coach Andoni Iraola has revealed that Ryan Christie may have to undergo surgery to resolve a "chronic" groin issue.
The Cherries are set to return to Premier League action after beating Wolverhampton Wanderers on penalties last weekend to set up an FA Cup quarter-final against Manchester City.
Bournemouth are firmly in the hunt for European qualification, with Iraola's side sitting in seventh place and four points adrift of the top four.
However, their European bid has lost some momentum in recent games, having lost three of their previous four top-flight matches, including narrow defeats to Wolves and Brighton & Hove Albion in their last two Premier League games.
The Cherries will be looking to take maximum points from Sunday's away clash against a Tottenham Hotspur side that are focused on the Europa League, especially after they lost 1-0 in Thursday's last-16 first leg against AZ Alkmaar.
© Imago
Iraola provides Christie update
Bournemouth could go into the away fixture without Christie's services after he sat out the FA Cup clash against Wolves due to a groin issue.
Iraola has now delivered a fresh update on the midfielder's status, explaining that he remains a doubt due to the recurring injury issue.
"I think it's something chronic," Iraola told reporters on Friday. "He is dealing with some pain and I think it's a situation that we will have to manage day by day.
"I'm not ruling him out but also I trust Ryan a lot. He knows his body. It's not an easy situation to deal with during the season.
"Probably he needs some rest but obviously he wants to continue playing and this is a situation we have to continue dealing with."
© Imago
Christie facing surgery decision
Iraola revealed that surgery is probably the answer to Christie's groin injury, but while that will ideally be put off until the summer, the Bournemouth boss admitted that the final decision rests with the medical professionals and the player.
"We will continue to deal with it," Iraola added. "We are probably thinking about surgery or something like this and it's better for everyone if it's in the summer.
"But I'm not Christie and he has to see how he feels, if he can play or can't play, decisions with the doctor, but he's pretty good at managing it."
While Christie remains a doubt for Sunday, Bournemouth will definitely be without the injured quartet of Adam Smith, Julian Araujo, Marcos Senesi and Enes Unal.
Defender Ilya Zabarnyi will serve the final game of a three-match ban after being sent off in the 1-0 Premier League defeat to Wolves last month.
No Data Analysis info
