Sunderland legend Kevin Ball runs the rule over AFC Bournemouth’s ranks ahead of the Black Cats’ trip to the South Coast.
Injuries: Brad Smith (foot), Lewis Cook (ankle), Marc Pugh (hamstring), Andrew Surman (hamstring).
Jack Wilshere
Jack Wilshere is a player with undoubted quality. He often comes in for criticism but he’s had a torrid few years due to numerous injury problems so it’s good to see him playing regularly once more. He can dictate the tempo of the game, slice open defences and score spectacular goals, but he also doesn’t shy away from a challenge and as his fitness and confidence builds so will his impact on the pitch. I remember him playing up here in an FA Youth Cup tie and in the opening 45 minutes he was outplayed by our player, but you could sense his quality and although it wasn’t his best performance he stood out. It’s a big year for Wilshere because this time in 12 months he wants to be starting for Arsenal, so it’s up to him to take the south coast by storm.
Jordan Ibe
Jordan Ibe is a player looking to make his mark. The 20-year-old has been around for ages after making his senior debut for Wycombe Wanderers at the age of 15, with a move to Liverpool allowing him to progress and become a Premier League player. He’s industrious and direct and can be a constant threat, but sometimes he can overplay and he needs to improve his end product. That said, he’s at the perfect club to do that under a manager who will be patient and improve his game. People will wonder why he’s Liverpool but he wants to play football and now it’s up to him to show the Reds what they are missing.
Dan Gosling
I like Lewis Cook so its shame he;s injured as, for me, he’s one of the best players to come out of the Football League in recent years and I was looking forward to see how he faired in the Premier League. Andrew Surman is also unavailable meaning Dan Gosling is likely to come in. The former Everton midfielder has made seven appearances from the bench this season and is very much Howe’s go-to guy in terms of steadying the ship and consolidating a result. He came out earlier in the week saying he was frustrated by his lack of playing time, but I don’t think that’s a problem because it shows he wants to play. This weekend he will get the chance and he will be out to make it count.
Simon Francis
Simon Francis is a big player for Bournemouth but he’s a player many people don’t know too much about. He’s started eight Premier League games this season and the Bournemouth defenders are very much the unsung heroes of the squad. Now 31, Francis is the natural leader within a settled and solid defence and he knows exactly what it takes to succeed at the club having joined them in 2012 when they were in League One. He's had an interesting career in the lower leagues often moving on a free, but credit to him because he’s shown that it’s never too late to reach the top if you work hard. He has been an instrumental and invaluable figure on the south coast for many years, and that won’t change on Saturday.
Adam Smith
Adam Smith is a good example where a manager has stood by a player and gone on to reap the rewards. As I said before the Cherries have a settled back four and Smith is a livewire who can wreak havoc. He goes up and down the wing attacking at every chance and he will be a constant threat in an forward sense, but he also has a key role to play at the back. He has really come into his own since arriving at the club following a lot of loan spells in the Football League, and credit to him for returning to the top tier after leaving Tottenham Hotspur where he developed his trade.