Bournemouth boss Marco Rose urges patience over Eli Junior Kroupi’s return

Bournemouth manager Marco Rose is taking a cautious approach to Eli Junior Kroupi’s return to regular first-team action, insisting the highly-rated forward must gradually build his fitness to avoid another injury setback.

The 20-year-old has recently returned from a lengthy spell on the sidelines and has featured in Bournemouth’s last two matches, but Rose is reluctant to rush his reintegration despite growing interest in his services from Premier League champions Arsenal.

Kroupi missed the opening three months of the season after sustaining a foot injury, which disrupted his progress following an impressive first campaign in English football.

The Frenchman made his return in Bournemouth’s 3-0 victory over Manchester United before receiving another opportunity during Wednesday’s League Cup defeat to Aston Villa, coming on in the 80th minute.

His performances from last season have reportedly attracted Arsenal’s attention, with the Gunners monitoring the youngster’s development.

However, Rose is prioritising the forward’s long-term fitness over an immediate return to a prominent role as Bournemouth prepare to face Leeds United in the Premier League on Saturday.

“We still need to build up his game time,” Rose said.

“I’m really happy to have him back, to have his quality, but he knows that he has to be patient in this situation to not get in a difficult situation with another injury.

“We need to get him fit, in a good spot with more and more match time in between good sessions of training.”

Alex Scott closing in on Bournemouth return

Meanwhile, Bournemouth remain without midfielder Alex Scott, who is recovering from a thigh injury.

The 22-year-old could, however, return to action next week, providing a timely boost for Rose as the Cherries look to maintain their impressive run of results.

Bournemouth have won five consecutive matches across all competitions without conceding a goal, underlining their recent improvement following a difficult start to the campaign.

Scott’s potential return would provide another option in midfield as the club look to sustain their momentum.

Rose hails Bournemouth’s improvement

Rose believes Bournemouth’s recent performances reflect the direction the team had been heading even before their current winning run.

The German succeeded Andoni Iraola, who left the club to join Liverpool, and says the foundations for their improvement were already visible during pre-season.

Although Bournemouth started the campaign with encouraging performances, individual errors and missed opportunities prevented them from turning those displays into positive results.

“Even in pre-season I felt we are in a good way and in a good direction,” Rose said.

“The first games were good, but we just missed some situations and made some individual mistakes to concede easy goals, and that is why we didn’t get results.

“These days most games are going in our direction, but it’s hard work and we have to continue this hard work.”

Bournemouth will now look to extend their winning streak when they welcome Leeds United on Saturday, with Rose hoping to maintain the team’s defensive solidity while carefully managing Kroupi’s return to full fitness.