CHERRIES boss Eddie Howe is hoping Junior Stanislas will be given a clean bill of health over the summer following an injury-ravaged campaign.

Stanislas will not play again this season after sustaining a serious knee during Cherries' 2-2 draw at Watford at the end of last month.

The 28-year-old winger went under the knife after damaging the lateral meniscus in his left knee and faces a race against time to be fit for the start of pre-season.

Before being struck down by his latest injury, Stanislas had already described the current season as the “most frustrating” of his career, having also been troubled by hamstring and groin problems.

Despite being restricted to 19 appearances in the Premier League, the Londoner netted five times and had been in a rich vein of form when he suffered his knee injury, having hit four in his final eight games.

Giving an update on his condition, Howe told the Daily Echo: "Whether Junior makes pre-season with us will depend on how he looks during his rehab.

"He will do a lot of work behind the scenes in the summer and it will be down to how his knee feels and how he feels during those early stages.

"We are hopeful he will play a part during pre-season but just need to make sure we manage him correctly.

"He has had a few niggles in different areas of his body this season and we are going to use this as an opportunity to try to sort out all those problems so he has an injury-free season next time round."

Meanwhile, Adam Smith could be ready to hand Cherries a major boost by returning for the trip to Southampton on Saturday.

Versatile Smith has been sidelined since sustaining knee ligament damage during Cherries' 2-1 win over West Brom six weeks ago.

And although it was feared the 26-year-old could be out for the rest of the season, he has made good progress and could be in contention for the clash at St Mary's.

Howe told the Daily Echo: "Adam is doing well and we are pleased with him. We will wait and see how he is for the rest of the season."