Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe believes that Connor Mahoney has a bright future at the club following his impressive loan spell at Birmingham City.

Mahoney scored twice and provided four assists in 30 league appearances during his season long loan spell at St Andrew's last season, and Howe believes the winger has shown he is capable of playing in the top tier.

Speaking to the Bournemouth Echo about Mahoney's future, Howe claimed: “It’s a great sign for us.

“It gives us confidence that Connor can come back here and be part of our future."

The 22-year-old helped Birmingham deal with the blow of a nine point deduction late in the campaign to secure a comfortable mid-table finish for Garry Monk's side, and Howe believes that experience will stand him in good stead further on in his career, adding: “He has had to do it the hard way this year. Fair play to him for that.

“The season that Birmingham had was quite a complex one with the points deduction and they’re all great experiences for him.

“That will help him for the future.”

Mahoney has so far struggled for game time at Bournemouth since joining from Blackburn in the summer of 2017, having made just two appearances for the south coast side, and spending the second half of last season on loan at Barnsley as they were relegated from the Championship.

The Verdict

You can't argue with Howe here.

Mahoney has shown flashes of potential earlier in his career, but after finally getting a run of first team football at St Andrew's this season, you feel he has proved he has the ability to play a key role in a first team setup.

Birmingham, however, may not be happy to read what Howe has to say here, as they will surely have been keen to bring Mahoney back next season.