Wilson’s character led to Cherries return, insists Smith

It was an injury which kept him out for most of last season, but Callum Wilson’s road to recovery has shown just how much character the Bournemouth striker possesses, according to team-mate Adam Smith.

Wilson scored five goals in six starts at the beginning of his Premier League debut season, but a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in last September’s defeat at Stoke City kept the 24-year-old sidelined until early April.

But the striker – whose first Premier League goals came as a hat-trick against West Ham United more than 12 months ago – returned with a bang, finding the net for the first time since injury in the Cherries’ 1-0 victory over West Brom.

(Photo by Malcolm Couzens/Getty Images)

And for Smith – the man with the assist for Wilson’s emotional comeback goal – the strike is the perfect reward for a prolonged spell of hard work at Dean Court.

“He’s had a difficult year, I’ve seen him go through it and at times he has struggled a bit,” he said.

“It’s understandable, you’re seeing the lads playing and you just want to be out there, but he’s been working hard in the gym and doing extras to be able to get that goal, and that was a great feeling for him.

“Some days were off days, which you’ll always have when you’re out for that long, and he needed picking up a little bit, but he’s come back really strongly and in general he was quite good considering how long he was out for.”