Bournemouth manager Jason Tindall says he did not want to use Jefferson Lerma in Saturday's draw with Watford due to the amount of games he has played recently, with the midfielder now an injury concern after being forced off at Vicarage Road.

Lerma has been a regular feature for Bournemouth so far this season, making eight appearances in all competitions for the Cherries, while also playing twice for Colombia in the most recent international break.

The 25-year-old was forced off just 18 minutes into Saturday's draw with Watford, and it seems that is something that has left Tindall regretting his decision to go against his initial stance over the midfielder.

Speaking about Lerma's injury after the game, the Cherries boss told the Bournemouth Daily Echo: "It’s a shame.

"I think that’s a consequence of the schedule and the amount of travelling Jeff’s done with the games he’s played for us and then going away with his country and the amount of travelling he did whilst he was away and then playing the games he has done since he’s been back.

"If I’m honest, I wanted to try and rotate him and leave him out the team today because his markers were quite high going into the game, but I wasn’t able to do that."

Discussing the nature and extent of the injury suffered by Lerma, Tindall went on to add: "Unfortunately for us he felt something in his hamstring. Hopefully it’s not too serious. It’s something we’ll assess tomorrow."

Bournemouth, who now sit fourth in the Championship table, are next in action on Wednesday night, when they host fellow strong starters Bristol City at The Vitality Stadium.

The Verdict

This will surely be hugely disappointing for Bournemouth.

Lerma has been an important player for Tindall's side so far this season, and they will not want to lose him for any length of time here, particularly with such a busy fixture schedule on the horizon.

Indeed, the fact that Tindall was thinking about leaving Lerma out adds insult to injury here, since it appears this is a situation they were close to avoiding.

As a result, you have to wonder Tindall will be more cautious from here in on when it comes to making his player selections during busy runs of games such as the ones the Cherries are currently in the middle of, as they chase a swift return to the Premier League.