AFC Bournemouth and United States men's national team midfielder Tyler Adams will face another lengthy spell on the sidelines after undergoing back surgery, according to Cherries manager Andoni Iraola.
Bournemouth are due to play EFL League One side Wrexham at UC Santa Barbara in a pre-season friendly on Saturday. During his pre-match press conference, Iraola was asked about the importance of staying fit for Adams, at which point he revealed that the midfielder had undergone back surgery.
“He finished the season with a back injury,” Iraola said. “He wanted to play in the Copa America because it was very important for him, but he had restrictions and was still in pain, so two days after the elimination, he had surgery.”
Iraola added that he expects Adams to be out for some time, although he declined to mention a specific timetable for the midfielder's return.
“It's hard to say how long, but he won't be fit for the start of the season,” Iraola said. “But September? October? I don't know.”
Iraola was then asked why Bournemouth did not stop Adams from playing in the Copa America. The manager replied: “It was not our decision. It is a decision of the nations, who are allowed to choose the players, and he wanted to play thinking that the injury would improve, but he felt that it was getting worse.”
Adams had been restricted in minutes in the run-up to the Copa America. He did not play at all in the 5-1 friendly defeat to Colombia and played just 14 minutes in the 1-1 draw against Brazil.
In an interview with ESPN in June before the friendly against Brazil, Adams was asked about the back injury. He admitted it was an issue towards the end of the club's season, but said he was improving his fitness with the U.S. national team.
“At the end of the season my back was hurting,” Adams said. “But I felt good coming into training camp and ready to train, but they were telling me, 'No, no, no, we're going to prepare well.' Because, again, the most important thing for me is obviously to have a good Copa America, but to come into preseason ready. I just want to be in a physical state that allows me to prepare for the eight, nine or ten weeks of the start of the season and be in a very good state to be strong again.”
Adams played 180 minutes in three Copa America matches, including a 90-minute stint in the group stage final against Uruguay, a 1-0 loss that eliminated the United States from the tournament.
The surgery is the latest injury setback Adams has suffered since completing a $25 million transfer from Leeds United last August. The U.S. national team captain made just four first-team appearances for the Cherries last season, totalling 138 minutes, after undergoing surgery to repair his right hamstring in October. He had previously undergone a similar procedure while still at Leeds.
The latest move makes it likely Adams will miss a pair of U.S. friendlies against Canada and New Zealand in the September international window, which could mark the debut of the next USMNT coach following the firing of Gregg Berhalter on July 10.
