Lewis Cook has a late shot to succeed at Bournemouth.
Bournemouth’s Lewis Cook in action with Valencia’s Alvaro Medran
Lewis Cook made a big move last summer when he quit Leeds United to sign with Bournemouth in a £6 million deal.
The Cherries sit in 16th position in the top flight, but Cook has barely played a part, while the club he left behind have enjoyed more success than they did during the midfielder’s spell at Elland Road.
Instead of being mid-table also rans, Leeds are battling for a play-off spot, and Cook has had to watch on and wonder what might have been.
Now with Jack Wilshere sustaining a broken leg, Cook has a late chance to end his Bournemouth season on a high.
Tottenham’s Mousa Dembele in action with Bournemouth’s Harry Arter and Lewis Cook
Reasons for Cook’s failure at Bournemouth are two-fold. One has been due to an injury which caused him to miss months of action, while Wilshere’s arrival on loan meant that when Cook has been fit, he has had to sit on the sidelines.
Cook came off the bench to replace Wilshere in the 56th minute against Tottenham at White Hart Lane when he suffered an injury.
Getting an extended look at Cook is the sole positive for Bournemouth in light of Wilshere’s injury.
His substitute appearance was Cook’s first Premier League showing since the opening day of the season, with only cup games played in between.
The England youth international remains an outstanding prospect who now needs games to continue the progression which made him a stand out star at Leeds.
Injuries cannot be predicted, but Cook’s stock was higher a year ago than it is now despite making his big move.
Now he has a lifeline with Wilshere’s misfortune, to end his own campaign on a high, remind people what all the fuss was about, and show why leaving Leeds was the right decision by finally getting a run of Premier League games under his belt.
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