MARC Wilson may not end his seven-month absence from Premier League action with a debut for Cherries – after Eddie Howe revealed doubts over the fitness of the defender.

Boss Howe admitted Wilson's lack of game time was far from ideal preparation for Sunday's trip to West Ham (4pm), although he did not rule out the prospect of the new recruit making his Cherries bow at London Stadium.

The Republic of Ireland international has not featured in a competitive first-team game since he sustained knee ligament damage in Stoke City's FA Cup defeat at Crystal Palace at the end of January.

The 29-year-old attempted a comeback in a behind-closed-doors clash with Crewe in April but was forced to withdraw in the opening minutes of the second half.

He subsequently missed Ireland's Euro 2016 campaign before earlier this week penning a two-year contract at Vitality Stadium and joining from Stoke for an initial fee in the region of £1.5million.

Wilson, who also suffered ankle and calf problems last term, was an interested observer as Cherries were beaten by Manchester United in their Premier League opener.

Howe cast doubt on the potential involvement of the defender this weekend, admitting the former Portsmouth man still had work to do to reach peak fitness.

The boss told the Daily Echo: “He had a couple of injuries last season so he missed quite a lot of football then.

“He’s had a full pre-season with Stoke but that’s something we’re going to need to assess quite early in our work with him and see where he is physically.”

Asked if Wilson would be ready for the head to head with the Hammers, Howe added: “We’ll see. He’s not what I would consider as fit as our players and he’s not had the games that I would potentially have liked him to have had.

"But I think, if put into battle, he would perform well.”

The fixture will be the first Premier League match at West Ham's new home, with up to 57,000 supporters set to pile into the vast arena.

Cherries bagged their first top-flight win at Upton Park last term when Callum Wilson rattled off a memorable hat-trick and Howe expects a hugely different atmosphere this time.

He added: “An hour and a half before the game we’ll see the stadium and then we’ll have to go and perform in it.

“I loved playing and managing at Upton Park. It was a great ground with a superb atmosphere. You could really feel the supporters were involved in the game because everything was so tight to the pitch.

“This will be different. It will be a unique experience in the Premier League because there are not many grounds I can think of that are like that so it will be interesting to see how both sides adapt.”

Cherries' 4-3 win over West Ham 12 months ago remains the Dorset club's only victory over the Hammers in the teams' seven competitive clashes.