AFC BOURNEMOUTH boss Andoni Iraola has been left wishing he could choose which positions are impacted by injury as his side’s bad luck with issues concentrates on the squad’s wingers.

Injuries at Bournemouth this season have ravaged specific positions as the year has progressed, first leaving Iraola with a lack of central midfielders before affecting Cherries’ full-back options.

Now it is the wide positions most impacted by injury problems, with Luis Sinisterra, Marcus Tavernier (both hamstring), and Antoine Semenyo (calf) all currently sidelined.

Iraola joked that it would be preferable to be have one of each position ruled out rather than numerous from one role.

He told the Daily Echo: “It’s probably the timing - if I can choose, it would be better to have one defender, one full-back, one winger.

“But that doesn't happen.

“It was a shame because in the Luton game I think that both Tav and Ant, they were playing really well.

“And once they were out, it's normal that we dropped a little bit.

“We lose that game and now they are out (for the Manchester United game) and then we'll see for the next games.

“It's always bad news when you have important players injured.

“But it's also a chance.

"It's also a chance for players that probably I think they deserve more minutes.

“And it's a good chance for them to show it.”

Not only have injuries impacted a certain area of the field, but currently they seem to be impacting a certain part of the body.

Marcos Senesi has recently returned from a hamstring issue, whilst Tavernier and Sinisterra are still recovering from their own hamstring injuries.

Sinisterra suffered a setback at the weekend, having to come off in the first half after reaggravating the issue.

Max Aarons and Tyler Adams have also had to recover from hamstring issues, although it should be said that the latter had suffered the injury whilst at previous club Leeds United.

“I think it's something that happens in all the teams in the league,” replied Iraola when asked if he had ever dealt with multiple players with similar injuries.

“If you go to the data, the stats, we are quite good.

“We feel we are in a good place injury-wise, in the number of injuries we had.

“But it's true that now I think we are watching every week there are more and more injuries in every club, and that's the reason we need more and more players in the squads.

“And you have to be ready for these times.”