AFC Bournemouth head coach Andoni Iraola has provided an injury update on Justin Kluivert ahead of Saturday’s trip to Crystal Palace.
The Dutchman has been in superb form for the Cherries this season, producing 12 goals and six assists across 28 Premier League games.
But Kluivert has missed Bournemouth’s last three top-flight matches after suffering an injury in the FA Cup defeat to Manchester City on March 30.
He did not feature in the 2-1 home defeat to Ipswich, the 2-2 draw at West Ham or the 1-0 victory over Fulham at the Vitality Stadium last time out.
Kluivert has been a popular pick in Fantasy Premier League (FPL) this term, with fans keen to know if he’ll return for the Crystal Palace clash.
Speaking at Friday’s pre-match press conference, Bournemouth boss Iraola said: ‘I think Justin [Kluivert] will be available [against Crystal Palace].
‘If everything’s normal, that’s the plan. If everything goes normal, he will be available.’
Kluivert had been struggling with an ‘overload’ and fatigue, with the attacking midfielder feeling some tightness in the FA Cup defeat to City.
‘He (Kluivert) has an overload,’ Iraola said earlier this month.
‘I think he feels tightness and when you feel tightness you are on the verge of a risk.’
AFC Bournemouth’s remaining Premier League games
- Crystal Palace (A)
- Manchester United (H)
- Arsenal (A)
- Aston Villa (H)
- Manchester City (A)
- Leicester City (H)
The 25-year-old’s return from injury comes as a massive boost to a Bournemouth side who are pushing to qualify for Europe this season.
The south coast club – who have never played European football in their history – currently sit eighth in the top-flight with just six fixtures to go.
Bournemouth need just one more point from their last six games to register their highest ever points total in a Premier League campaign.
Kluivert is one of the biggest stars in the current Bournemouth team, having joined the club from Italian side Roma in the summer of 2023.
Bournemouth have a number of other impressive players including Dean Huijsen, Milos Kerkez, Antoine Semenyo and Illya Zabarnyi.
A number of their stars have been linked with big-money moves in the upcoming summer transfer window, particularly Huijsen and Kerkez.
Huijsen has attracted interest from Real Madrid while Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and Newcastle United all want to sign the young defender too.
Bournemouth left-back Kerkez is also rumoured to be on Liverpool’s transfer wishlist.