CHERRIES boss Eddie Howe has confirmed that £8million summer signing Tyrone Mings will miss the rest of the season.

The former Ipswich defender sustained serious knee injuries six minutes into his Cherries debut in the 1-1 draw with Leicester on Saturday.

Mings had initially been expected to spend three months out but a post on the defender's Facebook account stated that he could face up to a year on the sidelines.

It read: "Worse news than first anticipated... tore my medial cruciate ligament and my anterior cruciate ligament. Will be out for 9-12 months, having surgery next Wednesday."

The 22-year-old and winger Max Gradel were among those yesterday omitted from Cherries’ 25-man squad for the first half of the season.

Howe confirmed that Gradel, who also got injured against Leicester, was set for six months out and that he had already undergone surgery to repair his anterior cruciate ligament.