CHERRIES boss Eddie Howe said he had not tried to "push away" Max Gradel during the January transfer window and insisted he valued highly the Ivorian winger.

The 29-year-old Gradel, who has not featured since October, was rumoured to be close to a move to Hull City on deadline day having previously been linked with a string of clubs home and abroad including Burnley, Watford, West Ham and Marseille.

However, the ex-Leeds star remained a Cherries player when the transfer window closed and was named in Howe's Premier League squad for the second half of the season.

And while Howe admitted Gradel had been frustrated at recent inaction, he revealed he had always been keen to keep the wide man, whose ability he vowed to maximise.

Asked by the Daily Echo how close Gradel had been to a move, Howe said: "Like all our players who aren't playing week in, week out, there is frustration at a lack of game time.

"When players come to me and speak to me, if we see that (a move) would help the player and he is absolutely desperate to achieve that, we always try to do the best for our players.

"Any player who left, it was more the player seeking football to further their career. With Max, we discussed it, but, ultimately, he is still here.

"I've made it very clear to Max all along that in no way was it me trying to push Max away from the football club. I value him greatly and we will try to get the very best out of him.

"It's not difficult for him at all (to remain at the club having been linked with a move). I spoke to Max at length and he was of the same mindset.

"He said that if nothing happened he was absolutely committed to Bournemouth, to me and the team, and let's try to make this work for however long that situation is."

A £7million signing from St Etienne in August 2015, Gradel enjoyed a flying start to life in the Premier League before sustaining a serious knee injury later that month against Leicester.

He was sidelined for six months but returned at the end of February to play a major role in helping the club preserve top-flight status.

However, Gradel has found regular football hard to come by this season, making just seven outings for the Vitality Stadium side.

Meanwhile, Howe believes Cherries must attain 45 points if they are to achieve Premier League survival. The Dorset side are currently six points clear of the drop zone on 26 points and are due to face high fliers Manchester City on Monday.

The boss added: "I view this season the same as last season – we are in a relegation battle until we reach the points where we're not.

"Everyone talks about 40 points, for me we need to get 45 points as quickly as we can. Until we do that, we will be in a relegation battle."