JEFFERSON Lerma has dropped out of Colombia’s squad for their upcoming friendlies with South Korea and Japan.

The Colombian FA announced on Saturday that the tenacious midfielder had picked up an injury in Cherries’ 3-0 defeat to Aston Villa, causing him to be replaced by Yílmar Velásquez.

In a statement in Spanish, the Colombian FA shared on their website: “The coaching staff of the Colombian Men's Senior Team informs that the player Yílmar Velásquez from Deportivo Pereira has been called up for the friendly matches against Korea and Japan.

“Technical director Néstor Lorenzo has summoned Velásquez in replacement of Jéfferson Lerma from AFC Bournemouth, who suffered an injury with his team in the last game played.”

Lerma played the full 90 minutes on Saturday, having only missed one Premier League game all season, the 3-2 defeat to Arsenal at the start of March.

The 28-year-old has played 33 times for his country, scoring once.