EMILIANO Marcondes will not be available to play for “a lot of months this season”, boss Andoni Iraola confirmed.

The midfielder is back at Cherries having spent the second half of last season out on loan at FC Nordsjaelland in Denmark.

But Marcondes is currently on the road to recovery, having undergone surgery in June on a long-standing foot injury.

Fellow loanees Ben Pearson, Siriki Dembele and Jamal Lowe were left out of the first-team plans and sent to train with the development squad upon their returns to the club this summer, and subsequently moved on again.

However the situation is not the same for Marcondes, who has been in attendance to watch first-team matches at Vitality Stadium and was at his former club Brentford on Saturday when Cherries made the trip.

Asked for an update on the 28-year-old and if he is part of the group and part of his plans moving forward, Cherries head coach Iraola told the Daily Echo: “He is recovering with us.

“But it is true that he had not so long ago the surgery, so he will be out for a lot of months this season.

“He will be with us, but sometimes when you are injured, you are apart from the team a lot of days. But he is with us, yes.”

Marcondes, who arrived on a three-year deal as a free transfer in the summer of 2021, has made 24 appearances for the club, scoring seven goals.