EDDIE Howe has urged his centre-halves to prove he does not need to dip into the transfer market – after neither confirming nor denying interest in John Terry.

The defensive resources of Cherries boss Howe have been severely hit of late with skipper Simon Francis serving a three-match suspension and loan star Nathan Ake being recalled by Chelsea.

With Steve Cook appearing likely to start at Hull City tomorrow (3pm), Tyrone Mings and the fit-again Marc Wilson would seem the leading contenders to line up alongside the former Brighton man at the heart of defence.

And Howe has thrown down the gauntlet to his centre-backs to excel at KCOM Stadium and dispel thoughts of recruiting another defender.

He said: "For me, this weekend is about giving an opportunity to someone in our squad and then let's see.

"This sort of situation has happened before many times at this football club, where a player would leave for a transfer fee and we would then look to see how we would replace that player.

"That's the beauty of football. Someone gets an opportunity and they don't look back from that moment.

"I believe we have players in the squad who can take that place and do very well. Let's not rush into the transfer market. Let's see."

Former England skipper Terry was heavily linked with a loan move to Vitality Stadium this week and while Howe revealed no talks had taken place, he stopped short of denying interest in the 36-year-old.

"There have been no negotiations with Chelsea at all," said Howe.

"I admire John Terry greatly as a footballer. He was one of my favourite central defenders to try to emulate when I was playing.

"But there's been no discussions, no meeting – nothing."

Conte subsequently insisted that Terry would stay put this month.

Meanwhile, Howe admitted there was no guarantee he would recruit during the current window.

Asked what his feelings would be if he avoided any outs or ins, the boss said: "I'd be happy with the squad I have. Of course, whenever you go into a transfer window, you can never tell what is going to happen regarding injuries and suspensions.

"That's always a grey area so you could be forced into the market when you didn't want to be. That's the situation, potentially, we are in."

Cherries face a Hull side desperate to move off the bottom of the Premier League standings.

The beleaguered Tigers have experienced a tumultuous time of late, with protests against owner Assem Allam taking place in the FA Cup win over Swansea – boss Marco Silva's first game in charge.

Howe added: "We will approach the game in the way we always do and try to impose ourselves on them.

"It's never ideal when there is slight disturbance at a football club in terms of fans to owners. I think that's sometimes difficult for the players but it's nothing to do with us and we need to make sure we focus on our own performance."