Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola has ruled Ivory Coast midfielder Hamed Traore out of action for the forseeable future after suffering malaria infection.
Traore was one of the notable names that did not make the Elephants’ final squad for the biennial tournament that will take place on home soil from January 13.
The 23-year-old’s last competitive match was in November in a League Cup loss to Liverpool while his last Premier League game was against Brighton & Hove Albion in September.
Ahead of Sunday’s trip to Tottenham Hotspur, Iraola said the Ivory Coast international has been discharged from hospital but needs ample time to recover to his best form.
“Right now he is recovering much better,” said Iraola. “The past few weeks have been a tough situation for him personally and, from a sporting perspective, he will be out for some time. We have to make sure that he is OK and he recovers properly. He will be out for some time.”
Traore initially joined the Cherries on loan in January before the deal was made permanent in a deal worth about £20m.
This year, he made only 10 Premier League appearances for high-flying Iraola’s team who have won six of their last seven league matches and they are currently 12th in the Premier League table.
