BOSS Scott Parker pencilled in Lewis Cook’s competitive return for Cherries and added: “He is moving in the right direction.”

Cook, who signed a new contract with the Dorset club this month, has not featured since rupturing his ACL during a Championship clash at Preston in March.

It is the second time in his career the England international has suffered such an injury.

But after now stepping up his training in recent weeks, the 24-year-old is set to turn out for the club’s under-21 squad in the Premier League Cup at Vitality Stadium next Wednesday, October 6.

Parker said: “I’m really pleased with Lewis. He has now been with us in full training, in terms of not modified now for some time.

“The next step is for him to play a game – hopefully that game will come here, maybe for the under-21s against Arsenal.

“Hopefully we can get some minutes into him in that case. He played part of an in-house game at the weekend and came through that well.

“He is moving in the right direction and hopefully he comes through them and we can push him even more.”