MX23RW : Thursday, December 19 02:56:52| >> :120:34464:34464:

Eddie Howe denies Asmir Begovic rift

Howe denies Begovic rift
© Reuters
The Bournemouth boss played down talk of a rift with his goalkeeper.

Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe insists he has not fallen out with goalkeeper Asmir Begovic.

The Bosnia-Herzegovina goalkeeper was a surprise omission from the squad for last weekend's impressive 1-0 home win over Tottenham, with 19-year-old Irishman Mark Travers making his debut.

Howe revealed Begovic will not feature in Sunday's final Premier League game of the season at Crystal Palace, but insisted he had merely handed the 31-year-old an extra week off.

The Cherries boss refused to deny Begovic could leave Bournemouth this summer, but was adamant he remains on good terms with the former Chelsea star.

"Some of the things that have come out this week have been totally inaccurate," said Howe.

"We decided to play Mark (Travers) and rest Asmir (against Spurs). He's been given the final week of the season off to spend some extended time with his family.

"But nothing malicious or any stories to read into that, to say that he's played his last game for Bournemouth. Who knows what the summer brings for him or for us, but there's been no fall-out and he's still a top professional."

When asked if Bournemouth will sign a goalkeeper this summer, Howe said: "Who knows? It's a difficult one for us to reflect on at the moment.

"We'll get the game out of the way first then sit down and make our plans."

Travers became the first teenage goalkeeper since Joe Hart in 2006 to start a Premier League match as the Cherries edged out Spurs at Dean Court last weekend.

Now the 19-year-old could retain his place for Bournemouth's trip to Selhurst Park, with boss Howe backing the youngster to shine again if called upon.

"We decided to play Mark at the weekend and we were delighted with his performance," said Howe.

"He's a very level-headed lad so we haven't really had to say too much to him this week."

Bournemouth's resources will be stretched again for their south London encounter, with David Brooks, Dan Gosling and Dominic Solanke all still sidelined.

Brooks has an ankle issue, Gosling a calf complaint and Solanke a hamstring concern, leaving Bournemouth missing nine frontline stars when including long-term absentees.

"David Brooks will miss out," said Howe.

"Dan Gosling and Dom Solanke are also missing. Those lads who missed out last week won't make it for this weekend."

ga('create', 'UA-72310761-1', 'auto', {'name': 'pacontentapi'});
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'referrer', location.origin);
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension1', 'By Press Association Sport staff');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension2', '863c5e17-a273-4cfa-9624-82939ee1c8ff');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension3', 'paservice:sport,paservice:sport:club-news,paservice:sport:football');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension6', 'story');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension7', 'composite');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension8', null);
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension9', 'sport:football');
ga('pacontentapi.send', 'pageview', { 'location': location.href, 'page': (location.pathname + location.search + location.hash), 'title': 'Howe: I\u2019ve not fallen out with Begovic'});

ID:358805: cacheID:358805:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:4918:
Written by
P A
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino pictured on May 4, 2019
Read Next:
Mauricio Pochettino: "The plan didn't work"
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool15113131131836
2Chelsea16104237191834
3Arsenal1686229151430
4Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest168442119228
5Manchester CityMan City168352823527
6Bournemouth167452421325
7Aston Villa167452425-125
8Fulham166642422224
9Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton166642625124
10Tottenham HotspurSpurs1672736191723
11Brentford167273230223
12Newcastle UnitedNewcastle166552321223
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd166462119222
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham165472129-819
15Crystal Palace163761721-416
16Everton153661421-715
17Leicester CityLeicester163582134-1314
18Ipswich TownIpswich162681628-1212
19Wolverhampton WanderersWolves1623112440-169
20Southampton1612131136-255


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!