Eddie Howe and Kieran Trippier have both praised 20-year-old talent Matty Bondswell for his impressive performance in Tuesday night’s defeat to Benfica.
The boss believes the young left-back “did his chances no harm”, hinting he could be handed more chances in the senior team after looking anything but out of place against the Champions League quarter finalists.
Howe believes he’ll “learn a lot” from the atmosphere and quality of opposition, feeling the 45-minute cameo could be a “big moment in his career” and pathway to more opportunities.
Trippier also described his display as “outstanding”, believing he showed his class to barely put a foot wrong after being thrown in at the deep end in what turned out to be a competitive and fiery pre-season friendly.
Here’s what the manager and England international have had to say about the former RB Leipzig talent after the game:
Eddie Howe:
“It’s great to see the young lads with us.
“Matty did very well – that’ll be a great experience for him. It could be a big moment in his career.
“He’ll learn a lot from it in terms of the atmosphere, the players he’s up against – and the players he’s playing with.
“Sometimes, as a young player, you need that break. I thought he did his chances no harm of maybe more outings.”
Kieran Trippier:
“I thought it was a great experience for a lot of the players, coming to places like this is always difficult.”
“You look at Matty [Bondswell] who played left-back second half. I thought he was outstanding.
“It’s not easy to get thrown in at the deep end.”
Many expected Paul Dummett or Jamal Lewis to feature, however their absence has been a blessing for Bondswell, who took his surprise appearance with both hands against the Portuguese giants.
