This was the match Max Gradel targeted for his return when, in August, he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. It was one of three such injuries that have complicated Bournemouth’s plans for the season – Callum Wilson and Tyrone Mings having been similarly afflicted – but the club can take heart from the fact Gradel made his comeback right on cue, even if his introduction in the 23rd minute at Vicarage Road came after a hamstring injury to another player, Junior Stanislas.
Gradel said the decision of Eddie Howe to allow him to do most of his rehabilitation work in his native Ivory Coast helped him to recover – and makes him even more determined to influence the remainder of this campaign. “When I came back this month people were surprised to see me,” Gradel said. “People didn’t expect me to train and then when he saw me I looked good. I was ready to play.
“When someone trusts you, you cannot let them down. I showed him he did the right thing by trusting me and letting me go home and today the result is I’m back to carry on.”
Gradel performed well and would have marked his return with a winning goal in a mostly dismal goalless draw if not for two fine late saves by Heurelho Gomes.
“It was such a hard time,” Gradel said of his enforced absence. “Six months is very hard to take. Sometimes you just want to give up but then when you see the support you get from the fans like I received, you cannot give up.
“I want to say thank you to the fans because they supported me during the hard times. It was very nice and I hope in the next couple of games I can give something back.”
There would hardly be a better time game to do that in than Tuesday’s home derby against Southampton but Gradel does not yet know whether he is ready to contest a full 90 minutes so soon after his comeback.
He said: “I’m going to see how I react [to the Watford game]. You need to go step by step and hopefully things will be fine. I surprised myself against Watford because I thought I was going to get a bit tired but I was happy and that shows I’ve been working very hard. I didn’t suffer in the game at all. That was very positive.”
Man of the match Heurelho Gomes (Watford)
