Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola has provided an encouraging update on the recovery progress of two players who have endured lengthy spells on the sidelines through injury, though he stopped short of confirming exact return dates for either man.

Defender Conor Bradley, who has been working through an extended rehabilitation process, appears to be edging closer to a comeback. According to Iraola, the player is not far from reintegrating with his teammates in a group setting, even if he is not yet ready for full training sessions.

"They are both doing very well," Iraola said. "I think they are in a good place. Conor is not so far from training with the group – not like full training but doing some things with the group."

The situation is more delicate for forward Hugo Ekitike, who suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon back in April. The injury has kept him out for an extended period, and his recovery has understandably taken longer than Bradley's. Ekitike has been splitting his rehabilitation work between the club's Kirkby training facility and the United States, where he has been working alongside a specialist to aid his return to full fitness.

Despite the longer timeline associated with his recovery, Iraola indicated that Ekitike's progress remains on track according to the schedule set out for him from the beginning. "Hugo is a little bit behind that but that was always the plan," the manager explained. "He is still doing very well according to the plan."

When pressed on when supporters might expect to see either player back in competitive action, Iraola was reluctant to commit to specific timeframes, citing the difficulty in predicting recovery timelines for injuries that have kept both men out for such extended periods.

"It's difficult (to put a timescale on them both)," he said. "When they have been injured for so long it's difficult to say but I think Conor is not very far from starting doing things with us."

The manager's comments came during a wider update on the club's injury situation, which also touched on the case of young defender Giovanni Leoni. The centre-back arrived from Parma last summer with high hopes attached to his move, only to suffer the cruel misfortune of sustaining an anterior cruciate ligament injury on his debut appearance.

The nature of an ACL injury typically requires a lengthy period of rehabilitation, and Leoni has been working through his recovery process since the setback. Iraola offered a more concrete timeline for the young defender, suggesting that he is expected to be back in training with the squad around the next international break.

The updates will offer some reassurance to supporters who have been monitoring the recovery of all three players closely, even if the lack of firm return dates means a degree of patience will still be required. With Bradley seemingly the closest to a full return among the trio, attention will now turn to how quickly he can progress from partial group involvement to complete training sessions and, eventually, match fitness.

For Ekitike, the Achilles injury remains a significant hurdle, and the involvement of a specialist in the United States underlines the seriousness with which the club and player are treating his rehabilitation. As Iraola noted, there is no rushing the process, with the focus remaining on ensuring he returns at the right time rather than to an artificial deadline.

Based on reporting from standard-football.