Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe has praised Chris Mepham for his attitude during their 3-3 draw at Southampton.
The 21-year-old, who had started as one of three central defenders at St Mary's, was replaced by Ryan Fraser after just 23 minutes, as Howe adjusted his side's shape.
Howe explained to the Daily Echo: "It wasn't anything against Chris, it was for the good of the team.
“I needed to change things. Sometimes you can leave things and the game may have gone.
“I felt I needed to act, it's not something I'd necessarily want to do but I think sometimes you have to be prepared to make that decision, if it's for the benefit of everybody."
He added: “Unfortunately, Chris was the victim of that.
“He will naturally be disappointed. I'd expect him to be but you have always got to think of how people will observe your reaction.
“A lot of people would look and see how he did react – he reacted with great professionalism, which shows great respect for his team-mates.
“I wouldn't expect anything less from the type of player he is.
“He is very level-headed and has a very good attitude and I'd expect him just to brush that off because it wasn't as if I was taking him off for a straight replacement. It was very much with the shape of the team in mind."