STRIKER Joshua King handed Cherries a timely boost after discovering he had avoided a long injury layoff.

King succumbed to a hamstring injury during the second half of Cherries’ 3-3 draw with West Ham on Boxing Day and had been sweating on the severity of the damage.

The Norwegian, who has been plagued by the problem since pre-season, had two scans over the festive period which revealed he had suffered only a minor strain.

Boss Eddie Howe said King had an outside chance of being available for the visit of Arsenal in nine days, although he felt the trip to West Ham on January 20 would be a more realistic return date.

Howe said: “Josh has a grade one strain of his hamstring which took two scans to find.

“He has historical hamstring problems so we have to be careful how quickly we push him back.

“There is an outside chance he could be fit and available for Arsenal, it will depend on how he reacts between then and now. The most likely outcome is he may be available for the game after.”

Howe also said midfielder Andrew Surman was making good progress after hurting his shoulder during the 4-0 defeat at Manchester City last month.

“We didn’t feel there was anything structurally wrong with the joint,” said Howe. “He had an injection to help with the initial pain and I think he will be fit for tomorrow.”

Junior Stanislas (hamstring) and Ryan Fraser (hamstring) are unlikely to be risked against Wigan in the FA Cup, while Jermain Defoe and Tyrone Mings remain sidelined.