EDDIE Howe labelled as "a really positive outcome" the news Lewis Cook would not require surgery on an ankle problem.

The 19-year-old midfielder has been sidelined since twisting the joint while on duty with England Under-20s earlier this month.

An appointment with a specialist revealed Cook would not need to go under the knife.

Howe told the Daily Echo: "Lewis is not going to need surgery, which is a really positive outcome. The specialist believed we could, potentially, get him back within three months.

"The fact he doesn't need surgery is a huge boost to him and us.

"The timescale was around the lines of what we were expecting but we were hoping he wouldn't have to go under the knife because then there are long-term implications with that.

"If we could get away with treating the injury, strengthening it and getting him back, we knew it would be a huge boost to everybody."

Cook has made just three Cherries appearances since joining from Leeds United in the summer for a fee understood to be around £7million, making his only Premier League appearance in the opening-day defeat to Manchester United.