Wales star David Brooks suffers setback in his return to fitness

Wales and Bournemouth star David Brooks has suffered a setback as he works to regain full fitness ahead of a hoped for return to the Welsh squad at the World Cup.

Bournemouth’s Interim Head Coach, Gary O’Neil, provided an injury update on the Welshman, who recently received the all clear after battling cancer, ahead of the team’s weekend’s trip to Newcastle.

He admitted that Brooks has had a setback in his return, having felt a tweak in his hamstring after taking part in a development squad game last week.

He said: “David Brooks suffered a slight setback in the development squad game.

“He had some pain in his hamstring, which is initially disappointing for him. Having said that, it’s not unusual for any place who has been off grass long-term.

“When players come back, there’s always a spell where they need to get their body used to being on the grass. They have to adapt to the stresses of playing football every day.

“I’m not surprised that it’s happened, but I’m disappointed for him. We were never going to rush him back, so we’ll see how he is in the coming weeks.”