FIT again Callum Wilson claimed his rehabilitation from a serious knee injury had been boosted by a trip to America.

The Cherries hotshot was rocked when he ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during a training session in February.

Wilson played his first 90 minutes since returning to match action during Cherries’ 3-2 Central League defeat against Cheltenham Town on Tuesday.

Both of Cherries’ goals came through the frontman in the second half against the League Two outfit – he also hit the bar during the clash with the Robins.

That performance came after the striker came through 66 minutes of a Premier League Cup encounter at Vitality Stadium against Norwich on his return.

In an interview with the Daily Echo last week, Wilson insisted he was quicker than he had ever been, judging by his current sprint scores.

That progress was aided by a spell in the States as part of his knee rehabilitation, having learned more about his own running mechanics.

Wilson spent time in the US working with world-renowned rehabilitation expert Bill Knowles, the director of reconditioning and athletic development at HP Sports.

As an organisation, HP Sports have worked with global stars such as Tiger Woods, Peyton Manning and Jonny Wilkinson, as well as Premier League footballers John Terry and Frank Lampard.

Asked about his time spent across the pond with Knowles, the frontman said: “I went there towards the end stage of my rehab. Just before I was about to start running.

“He has a style of how to get a player back after having this sort of knee injury, as well as getting your running mechanics back.

“He helped me with that as well as the physios here.

“It was a productive and successful trip. I got a lot out of it and learned a lot in terms of my running mechanics and how to keep my speed and improve on that.

“I didn’t know much about him really, so it was a bit of an unknown. The club knew a lot and I had read up a lot about him.

“For me it was about going there, taking the opportunity to see someone different and it was successful.

“I am glad I went out there. I do a lot more gym now, focusing on my legs.”

And Wilson believed his sessions in the States helped him gain the initial confidence in his knee since the injury.

He added: “It was unexpected, different and I felt like it helped.

“It was a lot of fun stuff.

“You don’t realise that you are going into different positions with your knee and your body, but you are going down on one leg and putting yourself into different positions and you don’t realise it.

“I have taken a lot longer this time and focused more on the rehab, which has also helped massively.”