REFILE-Soccer-Bournemouth's Smith out for three months after knee surgery

Nov 19 (Reuters) - Bournemouth defender Adam Smith has undergone knee surgery to repair torn cartilage and will be out of action for up to three months, the Premier League club said on Monday.

Smith, who had played all 12 of Bournemouth's league games and has scored one goal this season, was carried off the pitch after sustaining the injury to his right knee in the first half of their 2-1 defeat at Newcastle United on Nov. 10.

Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe had described the injury to the versatile player as serious.

"Following extensive medical assessment, Smith's injury is not as bad as first feared and on Saturday the 27-year-old underwent a procedure to repair a cartilage tear in his right knee," Bournemouth said in a statement https://www.afcb.co.uk/news/first-team/update-given-on-smith-injury.

Bournemouth, who are sixth in the league with 20 points after a strong start to the campaign, face a potentially tough test at home against Arsenal on Sunday. (Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru Editing by Keith Weir)