BOSS Eddie Howe insists Cherries will tread carefully with Charlie Daniels as he bids to avoid becoming the latest victim of a long-standing club injury curse.

Left-back Daniels is currently suffering with a persistent condition known as plantar fasciitis, an inflammation of the ligament that surrounds the heel.

A common ailment, Steve Fletcher once described it as the “most frustrating” injury of his career, while Shaun Maher, another ex-Cherries player, was plagued by the problem for two years.

Daniels, a key figure in Cherries' promotion to the Championship, succumbed to the injury during the second half of the 6-1 defeat at Watford 17 days ago.

And although he was named on the bench for Cherries' trip to Huddersfield on Saturday, Daniels was not fully fit and is far from being out of the woods.

However, the nature of the injury allows him to keep playing and Howe could still call on Daniels for tonight's return trip to Vicarage Road in the League Cup.

Speaking to the Daily Echo, Howe said: “Charlie was on the bench on Saturday for an absolute emergency and was not 100 per cent fit.

“He trained on Thursday and Friday and came through okay. But following discussions with him and the physio, we didn't want to play him for too long and decided a 20-minute spell would be the maximum.

“But because of the scoreline, there was no point in risking him at that stage. If it had been different, we may well have looked to put him on. We are still very much trying to protect and nurse him through.

“Charlie is a big player for us and we would love to welcome him back. But we want to try to keep him fit so it is a very delicate balance.

“There is a two-week window coming up with the international break but I would like to think he would be involved in the next two games.

“It is an injury that we have got to monitor. It can react differently from one day to the next. It can hang around for a long period of time and it can go as quickly as it comes. It is a difficult one to know exactly how you are from day to day so we will try to manage him as best we can.”

Midfielder Eunan O'Kane is expected to be ruled out against the Hornets after turning his ankle during Cherries' defeat at Huddersfield.

O'Kane, the goal hero of Cherries' first round win over Portsmouth, was a half-time substitute at the John Smith's Stadium but was forced off just 17 minutes later.

The Irishman was last night due to have a scan to ascertain the full extent of the injury, although Howe -speaking yesterday lunchtime - said the early indications were that it was “not too serious”.

Defender Elliott Ward returns to the Cherries squad after missing the Huddersfield match to be with wife Sarah who gave birth to their son Henry on Monday, while Mohamed Coulibaly is also back after recovering from an Achilles problem.