JUNIOR Stanislas is expected to be ruled out of action for up to three weeks due to a calf problem, boss Eddie Howe revealed.

The winger, 30, made a long-awaited return from injury little over a month ago having been absent since April due to hamstring and knee problems.

He featured against Brighton and West Ham in the Premier League before the FA Cup win over Luton on January 4. But he is now set for another spell out of the side.

Asked if Stanislas's latest setback had been worse than first expected, Howe told the Daily Echo: "I don’t think it’s worse than we thought.

"It was a very minor calf strain, but with Junior, with his injury history, we have to take our time with him so I think it’s going to be a two-to-three week injury."

Stanislas has played 117 games for Cherries since joining from Burnley in 2014, scoring 23 goals.