GOALKEEPER Asmir Begovic revealed he had kept in contact with some people at Cherries and is hopeful Eddie Howe’s men will “get it together” during the Premier League run-in.

The Bosnian international, currently on loan at Italian giants AC Milan, is preparing for the return of Serie A later this month.

Asked whether he had stayed in touch with Cherries, the stopper told talkSPORT: “Yeah, I have sort of kept in touch with a couple of guys that I’m closer with than others of course, as you do.

“But I have obviously been a lot more consumed with my position here and it making sure everything is right in Milan.

“I haven’t kept in too much touch with everyone there. I spoke with the manager, spoke with a couple of people around the club and they were keen to get back.

“Everyone, I think, wants to finish the season and it’s a tricky time for them because their position is a little bit fragile at the moment – and tentative.

“Hopefully in the last nine games, I think they’ll get it together and finish where they need to finish to finish the season off in the right way.”

Begovic, who spent the first half of this season on loan at Azerbaijani outfit Qarabag, has not featured for Cherries since April 2019.

His last appearance for Milan came against Genoa in Serie A on March 8.

Asked what life had been like without football, the 32-year-old said: “It’s been different, that’s for sure.

“When we got shut down at the beginning of March I was able to come home. I was in London for about six weeks, which was great.

“I spent a lot of time with my family, with my kids, which I probably didn’t have before. I’ve travelled quite a lot over the past few months being on loan at a couple of different places.

“I came back here (to Italy) about five or six weeks ago. I was quarantined for 14 days, so that wasn’t a lot of fun I have to say – having to stay at my apartment the whole time.

“The past four or five weeks we’ve been back to work which has been great, taking it a step at a time.

“Now everything is in full swing, all guns blazing and we are ready to go hopefully in a couple of weeks’ time.”