Eddie Howe has admitted that he’s been taken aback by Jack Wilshere’s work rate.
The on loan Arsenal midfielder is better known for threading silky passes than rolling up his sleeves but at Bournemouth he has had to graft for the team.
When the 24-year-old moved out on loan to the south coast it was viewed mainly as a fitness exercise after seasons of frustration on the treatment table rather than a bid to develop new aspects of his game.
While Bournemouth do put an emphasis on knocking the ball around Howe doesn’t have the same calibre of players to call upon as Arsene Wenger.
So far Wilshere has made 10 Premier League appearances for Bournemouth with his new boss delighted with the way that he has adapted his game to life in the bottom half of the table:
‘What’s pleasantly surprised me has been his mentality, his attitude to training, his ability to mould himself to the team, to fit into that team ethic that we have.
‘His defensive performances have been of the highest class, so I’ve been really, really pleased with him and it’s been great to work with him.
‘His quality on the ball, his technical ability, is second to none and I think he is so comfortable he’s made us a totally different team with the ball.’
After losing to Middlesboro and Sunderland in their last two outings Bournemouth travel to in form Stoke City on Saturday.
