BOSS Eddie Howe has revealed injured ace Harry Arter could miss Cherries’ Premier League bow.

The Republic of Ireland midfielder was forced to withdraw from international duty last month due to nagging groin and hip problems which surfaced shortly after his debut against England.

Arter’s ongoing complaints saw him stay at home while the rest of the squad spent the week training in Philadelphia before missing yesterday’s first pre-season friendly on English soil – a 2-1 victory at League Two Exeter City.

And with the club’s first top-flight fixture against Aston Villa only three weeks away, Howe admits Arter, a key component in last season’s Championship title success with eight goals in 43 appearances, faces a race against time to be ready.

Howe told the Daily Echo: “We have still not seen Harry back in training and he has been to see a couple of specialists. We are still unsure as to how long he will be out for but he certainly looks in danger of missing the first game of the season.

“He would be a huge miss for us. Harry formed a formidable partnership with Andrew Surman in midfield and had an outstanding season in his own right capped with goals, assists and a lot of tireless running.

“If he is missing, it represents an opportunity for someone else but hopefully we can get him fit as soon as we can.

“It is a shame for Harry that this has happened ahead of what is one of the biggest seasons of his career. It is a difficult start for him. No one wants to miss pre-season with the amount of work the players have done and he will have a lot to do to catch up.

“We are hopeful it is nothing long term but at this stage, things remain a little bit unclear." 

Howe confirmed goalkeeper Artur Boruc had missed out due to a shoulder complaint, adding: "We are hoping Artur's problem is nothing too serious."

Meanwhile, the Dean Court manager admitted he had been frustrated by his side’s reaction to Exeter’s resolve at St James Park but declared himself content with progress on the fitness front.

Howe added: “It was a good workout for us, Exeter made it difficult and got bodies behind the ball. We didn’t react as well as we could have done to that in the first half, it was a frustrating performance where we were not at our best.

“Thankfully, the second-half team came on, gave us renewed vigour and we came back well.

“I thought the players looked fit. We certainly enjoyed the weather being more like our normal conditions, particularly in terms of the heat compared with the intensity we experienced in Philadelphia.

“I felt the lads looked good and could have played for longer. At this stage, this was what we wanted and we will be stepping up their game time in the coming matches.”

Elsewhere, Cherries defender Stephane Zubar's hopes of a move to Southend United ended yesterday after Shrimpers boss Phil Brown confirmed he would not be featuring for the club again. 

Zubar had played 60 minutes for United at Braintree Town on Friday night before playing the final 20 minutes in yesterday's 3-2 defeat to West Ham.