Will Osula

Osula (ankle) is on the bench for Sunday's match against Aston Villa.

Osula (ankle) was spotted back in team training on Tuesday and is nearing a return, according to manager Eddie Howe. "Dan's making really good progress. Same with Will Osula, this was their first day with the team, but hopefully they're not too far away."

Osula (ankle) is expected to resume team training soon, coach Eddie Howe said in the press conference. "Will hopefully will be training imminently, we'll then have to make a decision on when we can involve him in a matchday squad."

Osula (ankle) remains unavailable but could be an option at the end of the month, with boss Eddie Howe commenting "I don't think he's close, but I think he's improving. So hopefully we'll see him towards the end of the month. Big for us to get him back fit.", Dominic Scurr of The Shields Gazette reports.

Osula (ankle) is set to miss several weeks after scans indicated the need to ease his workload, coach Eddie Howe said in a press conference. "It's something he's been feeling for a little bit but it's been functional. He's been able to train and play. It was getting to the stage when it was affecting him a little bit more. He had a scan and we were awaiting the results, tied in with the game, and the scan told us to pull back a bit. It's not a serious injury, we expect it to be weeks, not any longer."