LEEDS United legend Eddie Gray insists Cherries possess England’s brightest managerial prospect in Eddie Howe.

Gray, who won the top flight and FA Cup during a distinguished 17-year playing career with the Whites, managed United, Rochdale and Hull City before spending many years on the backroom staff at Elland Road.

Howe became the Football League’s youngest manager when he was handed the Cherries hot seat in 2008 and remains the seventh-youngest despite racking up more than 300 matches in the dugout at Dean Court and Burnley.

And with Howe presiding over one of English football’s biggest success stories in recent years, Gray believes the sky is the limit for Cherries under the tutelage of their highly-rated boss.

Gray told the Daily Echo: “I think Eddie is the outstanding young manager in this country.

“He believes in playing a certain way and has a strong character without the need to rant and rave. He knows what he wants and how to get it.

“Looking from the outside he will be strong enough to get what he wants. If the players don’t do it his way they won’t do it at all, certainly not at Bournemouth anyway.

"You know you have to dig in against them because they will not change their philosophy or the way they play and do it terrifically.

“They have as good a chance (of going up) as any other team in the league. They have good footballers but more importantly a great belief which is the big thing in football.”

Gray watched from the broadcast gantry as Leeds clung on to a 1-0 victory over Cherries, surviving a second-half onslaught to complete a Championship double over the league leaders.

“They are a good team to watch and will be disappointed we have taken six points off them this season,” Gray continued.

“The game at Bournemouth could have been finished by half-time, they should have been four or five up.

“He will be disappointed but the thing with a manager like Eddie is that he will learn something from it. He will tell his players that sides will close them down quicker and emphasise the need to be a little bit sharper.

“One or two players were caught a bit by surprise in the midfield area which we capitalised on but they (Cherries) were impressive in the second half.”