BOSS Eddie Howe insisted Cherries would tread carefully with Kyle Taylor after the teenage midfielder suffered a setback during his recovery from injury.

Taylor was forced to miss Cherries’ warm-up friendlies after damaging a muscle during the early stages of pre-season training.

The 18-year-old, who made his debut as a substitute in last season’s FA Cup defeat at Wigan, had been taking steps on the comeback trail before the problem flared earlier this month.

Howe told the Daily Echo: “Kyle picked up a muscle injury early on which was a real shame because he had been doing really well in the first week of training and I was really pleased.

“I have high hopes for him. His versatility will be important for the squad because he can play wide and in central midfield and is a very creative player.

“Unfortunately, he had a setback from the injury midway through pre-season so now we are going to have to take our time with him.”

Meanwhile, Howe reported winger Junior Stanislas was around four weeks from returning to training following his knee injury.