ASMIR Begovic admitted he had been hugely impressed by his early experiences of Eddie Howe the manager – before labelling Jose Mourinho the best boss he had worked with.

The towering stopper completed a big-money summer move to Cherries from Chelsea, therefore sealing the chance to work under Howe who he had first encountered during their days at Portsmouth.

Begovic, who was bossed by now Manchester United manager Mourinho, Guus Hiddink and Antonio Conte at Chelsea, says it is no surprise Howe has earned a reputation as one of this country's blossoming talents.

The goalkeeper said: “He is one of the best up and coming English managers and, hopefully, he can take my game to another level.

“He has been really impressive in the first couple of the weeks and it is a pleasure to work with him.

“He was a player at Portsmouth 14 years ago and I got to know him then. In my first spell at Bournemouth, he was one of the first-team coaches.

“You could see back then he had a fantastic football brain. Injuries were unfortunate but you could see him going into coaching and management. It is no surprise he has done well."

Begovic worked under the charge of Tony Pulis and Mark Hughes at Stoke, while Harry Redknapp was at the helm at Pompey when the Bosnian was taking his first steps in the game.

The 30-year-old said: "I think the best manager I've worked under – and it was a shame it was for such a short time – was Mourinho.

"The way he thinks about the game, the way he works with players was incredible to see. Obviously, he brought me to Chelsea so I'm grateful to him for that.

"I was lucky to play under many good managers but I would definitely put him on top of the pile. I learned a lot from him in the short space of time we worked together."

Asked if there were any similarities between Mourinho and Howe, Begovic said: "There's definitely parallels in their passion for the game.

"You can see those two guys live and breathe football. They have their philosophies but their passion for the game is very similar."

Begovic also had kind words for Conte, under whom Chelsea won the Premier League crown last season.

"Conte was good. He was very intense in his work, very driven in his structure and way of playing," said Begovic.

"I think that's what we needed after a year of turmoil. It was important to buy into the philosophy as a team and the structure. That's what we did."

Reflecting on his farewell with his former boss, Begovic added: "It was very quick. I wished him all the best, it was as simple as that.

"We had a couple of conversations but he left the decision up to me. He respected my wishes to achieve a new challenge. He was respectful of that.

"There was not much pull from him. I did my bit and was professional there and played my part. It was time to move on."