Bournemouth's Unal suffers ACL tear with Evanilson also sidelined

Bournemouth and Turkiye striker Enes Unal will miss the rest of the season with an anterior cruciate ligament tear, adding to the Cherries' woes after Evanilson suffered a fractured foot.

On Tuesday, Bournemouth announced club-record signing Evanilson, who has scored five Premier League goals this season, had undergone surgery on his foot problem.

The Cherries, who have emerged as surprise contenders for European qualification under Andoni Iraola, did not put a timeframe on the Brazilian's recovery.

They have now been dealt a further blow with the news that Evanilson's understudy Unal has sustained a serious knee injury.

"We are devastated to confirm that Enes Unal has suffered a tear to his right anterior cruciate ligament during a training session this week," the club said in a statement.

"The Turkish striker, who has featured in every Cherries game since September, scoring two vital goals in our current club-record unbeaten run in the Premier League, experienced the contact injury in a routine drill on Tuesday morning."

Bournemouth are seventh in the Premier League table, three points adrift of the top four, amid an eight-game unbeaten run – their longest ever in the competition.

Unal has two league goals for the Cherries this term, with the most recent being a stunning 90th-minute free-kick in last month's 1-1 draw with West Ham.

We are devastated to confirm that Enes Ünal has suffered a tear to his right anterior cruciate ligament during a training session this week. We are all behind Enes and the club's medical and performance staff will support him in every way possible.

— AFC Bournemouth (@afcbournemouth) January 8, 2025