Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe believes that Chris Mepham is improving every week.

The January signing arrived from Brentford with a big reputation.

Now he has gone through a baptism of fire, facing four of the top six teams in the Premier League in his first few months.

But Howe believes these experiences stand him in good stead for the future.

He said to reporters: "All these experiences will be invaluable for Chris. These are big moments in his career and he will be soaking everything up.

"He's a very studious guy. He's very serious about his football and has made a really good start.

"He's been thrown in to a degree due to Steve Cook's injury but he's grown already in the games he's played and I back him to continue to do so."