EDDIE Howe is hopeful of welcoming “big player” Jefferson Lerma back into his squad to face Chelsea tomorrow, admitting: “The team seems to function better with him there.”

Having helped Cherries to back-to-back wins earlier this month, the Colombian has not featured in either of the past two fixtures – defeats at Sheffield United and Burnley.

Lerma missed the trip to Bramall Lane due to a one-match suspension, having been sent off in victory over Aston Villa.

And the combative midfielder was again absent for last weekend’s clash at Turf Moor, due to a back injury sustained in that win over the Villans on February 1.

Due to a combination of fatigue, injury and suspension, Lerma has not featured in five league games this season. Cherries have lost four and drawn one of the five, including defeats at Brighton and Newcastle and a goalless stalemate with Norwich City.

By contrast they have won seven and drawn four of the 22 games in which Lerma has featured.

But having returned to training this week, Howe is hopeful of welcoming the 25-year-old back into the team having shaken off the problem picked up against Villa.

Asked how he sustained his latest injury, Howe told the Daily Echo: “It was a couple of days after the game, which was quite strange. I think he’d felt it against Aston Villa and then a couple of days afterwards I think he began to feel it, which sometimes happens.

“You have players that play games, they come through the game fine and then two, three days later they present a problem.

“Obviously with the adrenaline of games sometimes they get through on that alone and then once everything calms down, their body starts to feel something.

“He was in pain for a while. But he should be good now.”

Discussing the difference Lerma makes to Cherries’ team compared to the club’s other midfielders, Howe added: “I think he’s very unique. I just think you have to look at our record with him and without him this year.

“I think it’s been interesting to see the team seems to function better with him there.

“He brings that aggression and steel, the ability to win the ball back, an athleticism that we need so he’s a big player for us.”

Despite only recently serving a suspension, Lerma is teetering on another disciplinary tightrope. Should he pick up his 10th booking of the season against Chelsea, he would miss the two subsequent matches.

“I’ve said before I’ve spoken to Jeff about certain things and of course you don’t want any player to get booked and the closer you get to a suspension line, of course it’s on my mind,” admitted Howe.

“But it’s difficult to say to Jeff to go into the game with any pre-conceived ideas because you never know how the game is going to unfold.

“He needs to be free in his mind, he needs to play his way.

“To put a restriction on him or to put a thought in his head, a negative one which this would be really, inhibiting one I don’t think is going to do him any good.”