A CONSULTANT at Nuffield Health Bournemouth Hospital believes Callum Wilson could be set for nine months out – and says returning too early could end his career.

But Charles Willis-Owen, who specialises in treating sports injuries, says the high fitness levels of the Cherries striker will “stand him in good stead” for surgery and rehabilitation.

Wilson ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during training last week. He suffered the same injury to his right knee in September 2015 and was back in action within seven months.

Willis-Owen told the Daily Echo: “There is every reason to expect that Callum can get back to Premier League football with the right surgery and rehabilitation.

"The fact he will be going into the surgery in the peak of fitness will stand him in good stead. Given he has been through it all before recently, this will help him in his rehab, too.

“Modern ACL reconstruction should give him a robust repair and a quick return to his best. He may well benefit from an additional graft to augment another ligament, the anterolateral ligament.

“Typically, it would be about nine months before he is match-ready. Any sooner would risk rupturing the graft and that really could be career-ending.”