Howe: King’s Cherries performances deserving of goals

Goals have been the order of the day for Josh King in recent weeks, and Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe believes it’s the perfect reward for a season where he has consistently shown his ability to play an all-round game.

The 25-year-old fired in nine goals in his first 12 domestic games of 2017, including a hat-trick in the Cherries’ vital 3-2 victory over West Ham last month.

That was after scoring just twice in the Premier League prior to Christmas, with his recent turnaround in form synonymous with his side’s burst up the league table.

(Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

But rather than credit an upturn in form, manager Howe claims his star striker has been producing solid performances all season, even if the net wasn’t bulging as much as he had hoped.

“I think his all-round performances all season has been good, it just happens that right now he is getting the reward with the goals,” said Howe.

“Earlier in the season I was able to look back on some very good games from him. Perhaps he didn’t score, but was certainly contributing to the team in many different ways.

“I’m delighted he’s now getting the recognition and the goals that come with that, his performances have very much deserved that.”