Lloyd Kelly says he'll be ready for Bournemouth when the season resumes.

One year to the day, the talented defender put the finishing touches on a whirlwind £13million transfer to the Dorset club from Bristol City – making his dream move to the Premier League come true.

But injuries sustained to his ankle, thigh and hamstring this campaign have, at present, denied him the opportunity to perform at England's elite level.

He told the Daily Echo: “You can't really hide away from the fact I haven't really played a substantial part in how the season has gone on.

“I had a good pre-season and I was in a good place leading into the start of the season. The way injuries have happened, it's just kind of halted my development in a sense.

“I was looking to play as many games as I could, whether that was in the Premier League or the different cups.

“As a whole, there are many negatives but, for me, you can take the positives that I've been in that situation now.

“The amount I've developed this year in terms of my mental side of the game and things like that has been good for me.

“Nine times out of 10 you aren't going to have this much time on your hands being injured and things like that, to focus on different areas you wouldn't necessarily do when you have back-to-back games every week."