AFC Bournemouth have confirmed that Justin Kluivert will be out for months with a knee injury suffered against Arsenal, though the exact timeline remains unclear.
AFC Bournemouth confirmed on Tuesday that Justin Kluivert would undergo surgery on an injury to his left knee suffered during last weekend’s defeat to Arsenal, adding that the player would face a period away from the pitch.
Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola then confirmed that Kluivert is set for months out, though the exact timeline will depend on what the surgeons find when they open things up.
“In the moment it didn’t look as bad when the game ended,” Iraola began. “But next morning he came with a very swollen knee.
“We did the MRI and he has a knee injury. He will need surgery and the time out will depend on what happens in the surgery.
“He will have surgery Thursday and depending what they decide to do, will be. But it will be months. It can be more months or less months, depending how they approach the surgery.”
Whenever there’s a knee injury, the immediate fear is that the player may have damaged their ACL, but Iraola at least ruled out that possibility.
“It’s not ligament related,” the manager said. “It’s the knee capsule, the patella.
“I’m not a doctor, I’m not the best one to explain it, but what I’ve been told is they will open, they will see what they can do and depending if sometimes they decide to repair it and it’s more time, maybe if it’s not as bad, they just clean it and it’s less time.
“But definitely some considerable injury. I cannot tell you exactly the length and probably after the surgery Thursday, next time we talk, I can be more precise. But yes, he will be definitely out for some time.”
If Kluivert only requires a minor “clean-up”, the expectation would be that he spends a couple of months on the sidelines, perhaps returning by late February or mid-March.
But if there’s a tear in the knee capsule or a structural issue with the patella that requires stabilisation, that could mean a much longer absence.
Arsenal still have at least one more game against Bournemouth this season, facing the Cherries in the Premier League on April 11th. Kluivert’s involvement in that match will depend on how surgery goes.