THERE ARE some experiences footballers get to enjoy that fans dream of, arguably to an extent that it is hard to process exactly what they feel like.

Thousands grow up picturing themselves scoring the winner at Wembley, coming off the bench to make a debut for their favourite club, or representing their country at a major international tournament.

Of course, not every footballer gets to experience those extreme highs, and in contrast, the extreme lows that the game can also put players through.

For Lewis Cook, there have been two such lows already in a relatively young career. Twice Cook has been sidelined for nine months due to a ruptured ACL, both times the same ligament in his right knee.

In a sport where cliches become shorthand for describing the journey a player must travel to comeback from such a lengthy lay-off, it is incredible rare to see a player openly deal with rehab and recovery.

Whilst some players may share progress pictures and positive milestones, there are the bad days and setbacks that are somewhat glossed over.

However, Cook and Cherries took the opportunity to turn what could have been an overwhelming negative into a positive, a learning experience, and an insight into the process of a footballer coming back from an ACL tear.

Lewis Cook: Relentless is an incredibly frank and open documentary that follows Cook’s journey since rupturing his ACL for a second time away at Preston in March 2021, all the way through to the end of last season, where Cook became a key cog in Scott Parker’s promotion winning side.

Throughout Cook remains level-headed, transparent, and honest in what must have been a worrying time for the one-time England international.

His partner Loretta also volunteered her time, with the pair revealing how they felt at different stages, from the immediate aftermath of the injury, to the operation weeks later, and Cook’s return to match action in a development squad game.

The club’s medical staff also make an appearance to detail the complexities of both the injury itself and the rehabilitation techniques, with Head of Medical, Craig Roberts (dubbed Doc by those at Cherries) and physios Nick Court and Jonny King sharing their experiences of the process.

It is that detail and transparency that makes the documentary must-watch, with the rough moments and bad days captured, alongside the milestones and more positive moments.

Cook’s recovery was relatively plain-sailing, as documented, but even in the quickest of rehabilitations there are setbacks.

Overall the documentary is a refreshing peeling back of the curtain, allowing fans to see the hard work put in by numerous people to get their favourite players back on the pitch.

You can watch the documentary on Cherries’ official YouTube channel, which went live this evening.