CHERRIES are sweating on the fitness of leading goalscorer Callum Wilson ahead of Saturday’s Championship showdown with Millwall.

Wilson’s chances of facing the Lions at Dean Court are in the balance after he suffered a hamstring injury during Cherries’ 2-2 draw with Ipswich five days ago.

Fellow striker Tokelo Rantie is definitely out though - and could be sidelined over the festive period after damaging his shoulder just minutes after replacing Wilson against the Blues.

Although Rantie has been told he will not require surgery on the joint, his rehabilitation programme could extend through to Christmas and maybe even into the start of next year.

Rantie’s injury is expected to keep him out for between four to six weeks and has also cast doubt over his chances of featuring for South Africa in the Africa Cup of Nations.

The 24-year-old was a certainty to be included in the Bafana Bafana squad for the finals, which are being staged in Equatorial Guinea between January 17 and February 8.

Rantie had been in fine form before sustaining his injury and helped South Africa book their place after scoring three times in their final two qualifiers against Sudan and Nigeria.

He was carried off on a stretcher after falling awkwardly following a coming-together involving Ipswich defenders Tommy Smith and Luke Chambers.

Rantie and Wilson had MRI scans earlier this week and, although both players’ results were fairly encouraging, neither striker was given a clean bill of health.

Wilson, who has netted 11 goals since his summer move from Coventry, is being monitored daily and is likely to face a late fitness test before Eddie Howe names his matchday squad for the visit of Millwall.

Discussing Rantie’s diagnosis, Cherries physio Steve Hard told the Daily Echo: “When we attended to TK on the pitch, we feared he had dislocated his shoulder. But when we were in the dressing room, it went back in fairly easily, which suggested it wasn’t fully dislocated.

“The scans confirmed that and showed he had subluxed the joint, which means it started to come out but didn’t fully come out of the socket. As a result, he didn’t sustain as much damage as you would with a full dislocation.

“There is no real need for surgery so his anticipated rehab time has been shortened quite considerably.”

Meanwhile, Cherries will host Coventry City in the third round of the FA Youth Cup next month. The Sky Blues booked a trip to Dean Court after winning 4-3 at Rochdale last night.