EDDIE Howe says Tyrone Mings is close to clearing the final hurdle in his rehabilitation following the serious injury which has blighted the former Ipswich man’s embryonic Cherries career.

Mings’s Premier League debut for the club last August was cruelly cut short after just six minutes when the £8m signing tore anterior and medial ligaments in his knee.

The 23-year-old played 45 minutes in Warren Cummings’s testimonial match at the beginning of last month and subsequently lasted 105 minutes of Cherries’ EFL Cup defeat by Preston.

Mings has been on the bench for his side’s two most recent Premier League matches and Howe believes the defender is on the cusp of a full return to action.

“He’s had to work very hard and has had to be patient in the last little period of his rehabilitation, which is the probably the most frustrating bit for him,” said Howe.

“(The last stage of his recovery) is to get the matches he needs to declare himself 100 per cent fit. I think he’s nearing that point now, so it’s great to have him back among the ranks.”

Meanwhile, Cherries under-21s are set to travel to Southend United in the Development League today (1pm).