Howe: Mousset settling well at Bournemouth, despite blunder
Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe insists striker Lys Mousset has a bright future ahead of him at the Vitality Stadium – despite marking his first Premier League start for the Cherries with an own goal.
The 21-year-old Frenchman, signed from Le Havre last summer for £5.5million, had come off the bench eight times already this season and started Bournemouth’s FA Cup loss to Millwall.
And after Howe finally named him to start up front against Stoke on Saturday, Mousset’s full debut was one to forget after he inadvertently turned Marko Arnautović’s corner into his own net.
But despite that setback, Howe is confident that Mousset has come on leaps and bounds in his first season in English football.
“It was a shame because I thought he performed well,” he said. “The goal was just one of those things that happens.
“When you consider his age and limited experience in England, I thought he performed well in a difficult team performance.
“His time will come and I think he will get many goals for us in the future. The big thing is he will be used to our expectations of him.
“When you first come in, everything is new. You don’t know your team-mates, how the training is going to be and what’s required of you physically.
“He now knows all those things and he knows how we play. A lot of his development has been done away from the pitch, away from the glare of the supporters.
“He has been able to develop nicely and we are happy with where he is in line with our expectations and believe he has a really good future.”