[Sport] David Brooks: Wales and Bournemouth player looks to move on from injury pain

[Shyloo]

David Brooks: Wales and Bournemouth player looks to move on from injury pain

 

David Brooks hopes scoring Wales' winning goal against the Republic of Ireland can help him move on from the anguish of his long-term injuries.

The Bournemouth midfielder has endured a torrid couple of seasons and had two operations on his ankle last year.

But Brooks is now playing regularly again, heading Wales' Nations League winner against the Republic on Sunday.

"That's always a worry when you get injured, especially after you've been out for 12 months," he said.

"The first game that I played 90 minutes in for 19 months was the game just before this one for Bournemouth.

"I'm just delighted to get 90 minutes last week and 82 minutes here and it's great that I've started to get back on the scoresheet, so I'm just looking forward and trying to stay fit.

"It's obviously really nice to get 82 minutes here in my bank as I work back up to full fitness and full sharpness, and it's always nice to get on the scoresheet."

Wales' victory over the Republic of Ireland kept them top of their Nations League group, meaning they only need a draw against Finland in Cardiff on Wednesday to win Group B4 and clinch promotion to the top tier.

Brooks' return is welcome news for Wales, who named the 23-year-old as their player of the year in 2019.

His impressive form for Bournemouth in the Premier League at the time saw the former Sheffield United player linked with a move to Manchester United.

However, such speculation has cooled following a testing period for Brooks, whose injuries coincided with Bournemouth's relegation to the Championship at the end of 2019-20.

The Cherries have started this campaign strongly and, after 11 games, lie fourth in the table, just two points off top spot.

Brooks scored twice in their win at Birmingham earlier this month and, with the delayed European Championship to come with Wales next summer, this could be a significant season for him with club and country.

"This is an exciting time for me," said Brooks.

"Last year I was out for 12 months and then on a personal note I couldn't affect the team when I did come back to try and get them out of the relegation zone.

"Obviously we couldn't manage that, which was tough on the lads.

"The start of this season has shown we deserve to be in the Premier League, but we didn't do well enough last year.

"We're all pulling in the same direction to get back into the Premier League and it's started well so the main focus is to help Bournemouth get back into the Premier League and then to go away and have a good campaign with Wales at the Euros."