Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola has admitted his delight at reeling off three straight wins has been tempered by injuries to key duo Marcos Senesi and Marcus Tavernier.
Senesi is expected to be sidelined for up to four months following surgery on a quad muscle injury, while Tavernier is also out with a hamstring strain.
The Cherries face West Ham on Monday on the back of consecutive top-flight wins over Wolves, Tottenham and Ipswich.
And Iraola admitted: “I think we are in a difficult moment right now because we have lost two important players.
“When you have a muscle injury and they take the decision to go to the surgeon it’s a big one, and three or four months is normally what it takes.
“Tav is different, it’s a normal injury. He will be out for some weeks, but it’s not a big one like in Marcos’s case.”
Iraola has challenged his remaining squad members to step up to the plate and fill in for two players who have had such an impact on his side’s successful season so far.
Senesi had started in all but two Cherries games before picking up his injury, while Tavernier had either started or been a substitute in every match.
“It’s going to be a moment for all the other players that haven’t had so many minutes to step up,” said Iraola.
“I think they have done well in the last few games, everyone coming from the bench has given us good things, and I hope they can continue doing well.”
Iraola did confirm that Tyler Adams is ready to return to the matchday squad after missing the win over Ipswich.
