NATHAN Ake says Eddie Howe and Antonio Conte share a "passion" for football and both bosses are in their element on the training ground.

The Dutchman played on loan under Cherries boss Howe last term and has now returned to the club from Chelsea, where combustible manager Conte won the Premier League in his first season at the helm.

Ake completed a £20million move to Vitality Stadium this summer and admitted his lack of action during the second half of 2016-17 at Chelsea helped convinced him to move on.

"I hoped I would get more chances but it was difficult," said Ake. "The team was doing well and they have really good players. I was waiting for the opportunities and, sometimes, they came.

"It went quite well but, at my age, when I have played regularly with Watford and Bournemouth in the past two seasons, you want to do that regularly.

"You want to continue playing, so when you are on the bench, or not even on the bench, it is difficult. Those four months maybe made my mind up even more."

Asked if he saw any similarities between Howe and Conte, Ake said: "Their passion – they both really love the game. You can see that from Conte during matches, but Eddie Howe is really passionate about the game.

"In training sessions people need to stop him sometimes because he would like to train for three of four hours.

"They are both really good managers and I am excited to be back with Eddie now. They love the game so much. Antonio loves to put his ideas over to people in training, and Eddie is the same.

"He knows his philosophy and gets it over to you. He works you hard in training – even if you are playing well, he still finds things you have to improve on, and Antonio is the same."

Ake revealed he had spoken briefly with Howe following Chelsea's decision to take him back in January, when neither the player nor his boss expected to be reunited so quickly.

"He called after I left and thanked me, and I thanked him for the time I spent here," added Ake. "He told me I deserved my recall and had done well. But it was just a farewell, not to say ‘see you back here soon!’"