NEW Cherries recruit Emerson Hyndman has been giving a glowing reference from the man who developed Gareth Bale, Adam Lallana and Theo Walcott.

Fulham’s head of recruitment Malcolm Elias, who formerly held similar roles at Southampton and Liverpool, revealed he had been set to take Hyndman to Anfield during his formative years.

Elias said the USA international’s switch to Dorset, which will be completed when his Fulham contract expires at the end of this month, had been “bitterly disappointing” but acknowledged the 20-year-old had been “destined for the Premier League”.

He predicted Hyndman would “thrive” thanks to Cherries boss Eddie Howe’s knack for developing talent and would relish playing with last season’s unsung hero Andrew Surman.

Elias told the Daily Echo: “Emerson is very gifted technically and will enjoy playing alongside Andrew Surman, one of the boys I helped to bring through at Southampton.

“I would say they are similar. They are both clever, good on the ball with good awareness and creativity. They will be on the same wavelength.

“Despite being young, Emerson has the knack of being able to control the tempo of a game and I have not known many players have that capability so early in their careers.

“He is very confident on the pitch and without question, is one of the most diligent players I have ever been involved with.

“He desperately wants to be the best player he can be and I know the guys at Bournemouth, Simon Weatherstone (first-team coach) especially, know what a quality player they are getting. He is a terrific talent.

“Emerson is lucky to be working with Eddie Howe and I think that was a big selling point.

“He is definitely Eddie’s type of player. Personally, I think he will be a great loss to Fulham and a fantastic signing because he is the type of intelligent, technical player that will thrive in Bournemouth’s environment.

“He was always destined for the Premier League, it was just a matter of when and with who.

“I am bitterly disappointed to lose him, as a player and as a person, but at the same time I am delighted he is going to a Premier League club.”

And Elias reckons Cherries will reap the rewards of a player who set the trend for future years at Craven Cottage.

“I saw him develop from a small boy into someone who changed the culture at Fulham,” he added.

“Before he came, we were renowned for having athletic players but very few with technical ability. Emerson helped me to change the type of player we recruited, to sign more technical, talented players than we had ever attracted before.

“He was the shining light and got the boys playing, he dictated games with intelligence and technique.

“When he first arrived, he was up against it physically but he learned how to cope with that. That’s another reason I’m delighted he has stayed in this country because he has done the hard work on that side.

“His family are really good people as well. Bournemouth are getting a damn good player and a damn good person.”