Another setback for Tyler Adams as comeback date announced

Bournemouth are still awaiting the comeback of US national team skipper Tyler Adams after he missed their Premier League match against Manchester United.

Injuries have plagued Adams recently, causing him to miss his third consecutive game; he was already sidelined in the Cherries’ most recent match, a 2-1 defeat to Luton Town.

Last Saturday, Adams missed the 2-1 loss to Luton due to back spasms. The American midfielder will sit out their match against Manchester United due to back pain. The midfielder had a setback, but Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola remained hopeful for a speedy recovery.

“Tyler is improving. He is out definitely tomorrow [Saturday] but it is a muscle thing”, Iraola said on Friday. “I think he can continue this improvement and he can be available next week.”

Just three games all season

Adams had a multitude of injuries throughout the 2023-24 season. Across all leagues and tournaments, he has only appeared in three matches.

In March, Adams returned from a hamstring injury that had kept him out for a year. He thus featured in two club matches during that month. He added to his U.S. tally in March 24’s CONCACAF Nations League Final victory against Mexico.

The United States men’s national team had a rocky path to the Concacaf Nations League final. So, a resounding victory seemed like the only way to put Gregg Berhalter’s players at ease. Gregg Berhalter took the largest risk in the middle of the field, starting only Weston McKennie with Tyler Adams and Gio Reyna. What is interesting is that it paid off spectacularly.

The goals came from Adams and Reyna, who both had good reasons not to start the game, but who came out on top in different ways. The former had a 45-minute restriction, and it was known going into the encounter that it would be his third since recovering from a hamstring injury.

“It was an easy decision because if you think about what we did last time cost two subs, right?,” Berhalter said post-match. “For us, we knew we could get to 45, we wouldn’t use a window and we wouldn’t use two subs and then what it gave the guys is a boost that you got a guy like Tyler Adams on the field and you can see how impactful he was in the 45.”

Bad luck continues

Along with his promising 37 minutes against Jamaica, Adams had a 45-minute stint in which he completed 24 of 27 passes. He would have liked to have made a bigger splash than he did in either game, despite scoring a goal worthy of the highlight reel. However, the USMNT‘s midfield was severely lacking in his absence for a whole year.

His bad luck continues with his most recent injury and the hamstring surgery he underwent in October. A glimmer of hope, meanwhile, has emerged in the form of Iraola’s declaration that he could be fit to play next week against Aston Villa.

Following their clash with Manchester United this weekend, Bournemouth will play six more Premier League matches. Under Iraola’s direction, the Cherries have risen to 12th position, and a top-ten finish is still within their grasp come the season’s conclusion.

Photo credits: IMAGO / Agencia-MexSport : IMAGO / Pro Sports Images