Bournemouth boss Scott Parker has been “very impressed” with the “glimpses” he has seen of Ethan Laird in training.
The 20-year-old joined the Cherries on loan for the remainder of the campaign last month, but he is yet to make his debut for the Dorset club.
Having made 21 appearances for Swansea City during the first half of the campaign, Laird has struggled to prove his fitness for the Premier League hopefuls.
While Parker accepts it has been “tough” for the Manchester United academy graduate, there are 16 Championship games to be played.
When asked about the latest surrounding Laird’s injury situation, Parker told the Daily Echo: “It’s been tough. Ethan has come in and obviously not played a minute at this present moment in time.
“Of course, I think it’s been difficult for him. He is on the right path now, can’t look back now. He is close and he is edging closer.
“He has been with the team the past week or so, so he is moving in the right direction. There is still a lot of football to be played, still loads of games to come, so I am looking forward to seeing Ethan.
“I’ve seen glimpses of him in training which I have been very impressed with. We brought him here because he can add to this squad.
“We have brought him here because he adds quality and he can bring competition and certainly help us. I am looking forward to him doing that.”
Although Parker revealed that Laird could be an “option” for the trip to the youngster’s former club Swansea tomorrow – that option has now been taken out of the former England international’s hands.
The scheduled clash at Swansea has been called off due to damage to the ground at Liberty Stadium, which was caused by Storm Eunice, according to the Daily Echo.
The postponement means Cherries’ second successive Championship game has had be postponed due to safety reasons following the storm.
Friday night’s home clash at the Vitality Stadium against Nottingham Forest was also called off.
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