DETERMINED Tyrone Mings is set to step up his bid to return from a back injury – but admits he could still be up to two months away from fitness.

The towering defender has not featured for Cherries since playing 45 minutes of the 3-0 Premier League defeat at Arsenal two months ago.

But the 24-year-old, whose Vitality Stadium spell has been blighted by injuries, is hoping to begin running this week.

Mings told the Daily Echo: "I'm looking to get back in the next month or two.

"As long as that continues to be a steady process, I should be fine and, hopefully, there will be no setbacks.

"I'm into the rehab phase now and, hopefully, I will start running in the next few days.

"As long as there is no reaction and it doesn't flare up again, we should be fine to move on to the next stage.

"It's difficult to know timescales because it really depends on how I react to the next thing."

Mings was speaking at an event run by the Community Sports Trust in conjunction with Kick It Out, the centre-half watching a powerchair football session at Victoria Education Centre and taking questions on his own career.

Injuries have restricted the ex-Chippenham Town man to just 14 appearances since he joined Cherries from Ipswich Town in the summer of 2015.

A serious knee injury sustained minutes into his Premier League debut against Leicester City saw him spend 13 months on the sidelines.

Mings added: "It is really frustrating. You turn into the team's number-one fan when you can't play.

"You want to be out there on a Saturday, you kick every ball and want to help the team.

"But I think you have to remove yourself from that and instead focus as much as you can on the rehab, because then you can get back more quickly.

"I'm quite a positive person but matchdays are harder than any other day to remain positive.

"I hate watching football if I'm injured because I know there is nothing I can do. At least if you get dropped, you can work harder to get back in the team."