JASON Tindall believes this season's packed schedule played a part in the injury suffered by Jefferson Lerma against Watford, admitting: "I wanted to try and rotate him and leave him out the team."

The Colombian lasted just 18 minutes at Vicarage Road before being forced off with a hamstring problem.

Lerma, 25, has featured heavily for both club and country since the season began in September.

The influential midfielder has started all seven Championship games for Cherries this campaign, as well as one appearance in the Carabao Cup.

He also played a full part in two Colombia matches earlier this month in South America.

And while Tindall hopes the hamstring problem proves to be "not too serious", he admits the amount of games in a short space of time looks to have caught up with Lerma.

"It’s a shame," Tindall told the Daily Echo.

"I think that’s a consequence of the schedule and the amount of travelling Jeff’s done with the games he’s played for us and then going away with his country and the amount of travelling he did whilst he was away and then playing the games he has done since he’s been back.

"If I’m honest, I wanted to try and rotate him and leave him out the team today because his markers were quite high going into the game, but I wasn’t able to do that.

"Unfortunately for us he felt something in his hamstring. Hopefully it’s not too serious. It’s something we’ll assess tomorrow."