WHEN it comes to dealing with knee injuries, Eddie Howe is no stranger.

Aged just 24, the former centre-back was signed by Portsmouth from Cherries in March 2002 but only lasted 52 minutes on his debut against Preston before being withdrawn due to an injury which ended his season.

He recovered in time to start the following campaign, however, the 2-0 opening-day win over Nottingham Forest proved to be the only time Howe would feature in 2002-03 after he had been forced off just nine minutes into the match due to a dislocated kneecap.

After multiple operations, Howe eventually sought the help of specialist Richard Steadman in the United States. In an interview with the Telegraph, Howe said Steadman’s treatment helped him “cling on for a few more years” before hanging up his boots in 2007 at the age of just 29 after admitting he had become “a shadow of the player I had been”.

But one player in the Cherries squad who will be hoping to return even better than before is Lewis Cook.

The midfielder has been absent from Howe’s side since rupturing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during the 2-1 victory over Huddersfield Town at Vitality Stadium in early December.

But the 22-year-old last month took a significant step closer to his return, moving out of the gym and back on the grass for the first time in 2019.

And while Howe has been keen to still urge caution in Cook’s comeback, he says modern-day methods mean his players have a much better chance of making a full recovery.

Asked if he could use his own experiences to help Cook, Howe told the Daily Echo: “I’ve just tried to be there for him.

“I think it’s very difficult to give your own experiences to him. I think my experience as an injured player is totally different to his. With the infrastructure that we have now, there’s a lot more contact with different people. When I was making my way back from a long-term serious injury we had one physio. And then he’s got to deal with all the other injured players who are probably more of a priority because they’re shorter term.

“But there is a network now that can support the players a lot better and hopefully we’ve given Lewis that support when he’s needed it. But certainly now I think he will feel a lot better about himself and his situation.”

He added: “The biggest lift is probably for Lewis himself.

“Having been there many times myself, you’re stuck in a gym inside and that can feel quite restrictive when you’re used to being outdoors and running and being free. So the fact you’re back outside again is probably your biggest transition when you’re an injured player.

“It’s then the start of your journey back to being a footballer again and he’s certainly had a big lift from it. I think you could see that emotionally within him.

“He’s still got a long road ahead of him so that’s why I just wanted to urge a little bit of caution. He’s still got a long process to go through before he’s back fully fit.”

Cook lifted the Under-20 World Cup with England as captain in 2017 and looked set to play a big role in Aidy Boothroyd’s side at this summer’s European Under-21 Championship. Instead the midfielder was forced to watch from home and continue his recovery as the Young Lions suffered an early exit from the tournament with defeats to France and Romania.

England round off their campaign against Croatia tomorrow (8pm) but Howe said Cook had been aware for many months that he had no chance of featuring in the Italy and San Marino-based tournament.

Howe said: “I think he knew that for a long time, probably from the operation (in December) that it was going to be a nine-month process. So this summer was going to be wiped out in terms of the international side, his pre-season was going to be missed and he was going to probably start training, all being well with no major setbacks, just as we start the campaign (in August).

“Then he’s got to go through the process of getting himself match fit.

“It’s a long way to go.”