Lewis Cook is edging ever-closer to a first-team return, Scott Parker has revealed to Bournemouth's media team.

Cook has been out with an ACL injury since March, coming off during a 1-1 draw at Deepdale nearly seven months ago. 

It is believed that the 24-year-old could return in the next week's U21 clash with Arsenal, a game that will pave his way back into the first-team environment. 

The midfielder was a regular for The Cherries last season, surpassing 100 Championship appearances. 

Cook also has 75 Premier League appearances to his name, with the vast majority of second-tier games coming with Leeds United. 

Parker, who spoke to the media following Bournemouth's 2-1 victory against Luton Town at the weekend, outlined Cook's potential return to action: "I'm really pleased with Lewis.

"He's been in full training with us now, in terms of training that hasn't had to be modified, for some time.

"The next step is for him to play a game. Hopefully that game will come here, maybe for the under-21s against Arsenal next week. It would be nice to get some minutes into him then.

"He played in an in-house match here at the weekend and he's come through that well, so again he's moving in the right direction."

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The verdict

Cook is an excellent player who will certainly bolster the club's promotion chances, but at the moment, it is hard to fit him in. 

Philip Billing, Jefferson Lerma, and Ben Pearson are all superb Championship players, who are all performing at a high level, making it incredibly difficult to see where Cook slots in. 

However, the 24-year-old is someone who could quite easily be operating at the highest level, and given an opportunity to break back into the first team, he is likely to take it. 

Cook is someone who will thrive under Parker's ideology, and similarly, the Bournemouth manager will be eager to see the 24-year-old back in the side.