MANAGER Eddie Howe has urged his Cherries players to ignore “a lot of outside noise” as they bid to secure their Premier League status.

Victory tomorrow over Manchester United – the most decorated club in the English game – would all but guarantee Cherries a fourth successive season in the top flight.

However, irrespective of the prize at stake, Howe wants his players to rise above continual talk of hitting a perceived points target for staying up.

He said: “Everyone in the media had us down as safe after we had beaten West Brom. No matter how much I bang on to the players about certain things, I think that will seep into the subconscious.

“We had it in our first two seasons in this league where people hit a level and thought ‘well, that’s you done’ and then you just lose an edge to your performance.

“It is one of the most frustrating things I have had to deal with in the Premier League because it doesn’t matter to me whether we are safe or not, the principle is that you give your best in every game, you try to win every game and maximise every opportunity in front of you.

“You can’t take your foot off the pedal for a second in this league because you will get punished. A lot of outside noise will get through to the players and I understand that. But we have to have a better mentality to make sure it doesn’t affect us.

“In some respects, that edge can make you play with a little more freedom, the fact that maybe the pressure of points is off.

“We found that at the end of last season. We got safe very late with a couple of big wins and then played with freedom in the last few games and it was really enjoyable to see the lads play at a really good level.

“But in other respects, it can work against you where players just lose that one or two per cent in terms of their intensity and then games can become difficult. It is all about making sure we use in a positive way whatever strength that gives.”

Currently 11th, Cherries are 10 points above the drop zone ahead of the visit of second-placed Manchester United, the Red Devils having won the top-flight crown on no fewer than 20 occasions.

Asked what securing a fourth season in the Premier League would mean to the club, Howe replied: “It would mean everything.

“The Premier League has got harder every season we have been in it. The scale of the achievement should never be lost so, if we could finish the job properly, then it would be a brilliant effort from the players.

“You look at the size of the clubs that are currently below us and I think that tells you everything.

“There are some huge clubs with us fighting to stay in the league. There are some whopping clubs down there with huge support and huge wage levels so, if we could do it, it would be a great achievement.”