Scott Parker: Jefferson Lerma has been harshly treated

The Colombian has missed 13 matches this season, an accumulation of three different bans.

He began this season with a six-match absence, imposed after an appeal against a biting claim from November 2020 was unsuccessful.

Lerma was then sent off for a professional foul against Coventry City in November 2021. Cherries appealed against that decision, but that also fell on deaf ears with the FA instead increasing the suspension from one game to three.

And the 27-year-old has now not kicked a ball since February 9, when he was shown a straight red card for a high challenge on Birmingham City's Onel Hernandez.

Again, Cherries appealed the red card, but it was not overturned. Lerma subsequently missed four matches - three for the foul and an extra one as it was his second red card of the season, as is standard EFL protocol.

But the combative midfielder is now available again and is expected to come straight back into the team to face Derby County on Saturday (3pm).

Lerma's absence was inadvertently further extended, due to two of Cherries' matches in February being called off due to Storm Eunice.

"It’s disappointing. He’s missed longer out, as in not played football," said Parker.

"It has gone from a two-and-a-half week suspension to a four or five week suspension, so that is disappointing. But it’s par for the course really, he got sanctioned like he did."

Asked if Lerma is worth the gamble given his disciplinary record this season, Parker added: "Yeah, he’s definitely worth the risk, definitely.

"I’m probably his biggest defender in that as well. I’ll always protect my players, but I do feel that Jefferson Lerma has been harshly treated sometimes.

"I can’t see any other way from that. I always verge on the edge of, 'no, this is what it is and that’s where it is'.

"But in this case with Jeff, I do feel that he’s been very harshly treated in some circumstances here.

"But this is par for the course really. Jeff is bitterly disappointed with that as well. We can’t do anything now.

"The authorities have decided he was sent off, they’ve given him four games, they’ve given him six games, they’ve given him whatever they’ve given him. That’s where it is.

"I think we've realised how important he is. Everyone sees how important he is, so pleased to get him back at the weekend and get him part of the team again."

Discussing Lerma's passion on the pitch, Parker added: "It is part of his game and I wouldn’t want to change it, of course I wouldn’t. At the same time, I don’t want him going over the line as well.

"I think that is what makes Jefferson Lerma the player he is. That’s what makes him, at times, be as good as what he is and how important he is to the team. That’s what you need.

"Of course, it’s my job to really control or manage Jeff so he understands that we don’t go over that line, while we’re on it.

"Because I realise if you take that out of his game, then obviously you take a massive chunk out of the player. But of course those are the conversations we’re having."

When Lerma arrived at Cherries in 2018, Spanish-speaking coach Hugo Faria was often used to act as a translator for both he and defender Diego Rico.

Faria left Cherries following the club's relegation from the Premier League in 2020, while Rico exited to join Real Sociedad last summer.

Asked if there is still a language barrier between Parker and Lerma, or if he can get his message across, Parker said: "Yeah, you can.

"Of course everything needs to be slowed down a lot more and you need to ask him a few times whether he understands and can he repeat things and stuff like that.

"Definitely there’s a bit of a barrier there, but he doesn’t need translating or anything like that."

Lerma, Cherries' record signing at £25million, has made 135 appearances for the club, scoring six goals.