EDDIE Howe insisted the "incredible spirit" of Harry Arter would help him recover from World Cup heartbreak and said the tenacious midfielder would be ready for the Premier League fight.

Arter's hopes of featuring in his first major tournament were crushed when Republic of Ireland were thrashed 5-1 by play-off rivals Denmark on Tuesday.

The 27-year-old, who had played all but two minutes of the first-leg stalemate in Copenhagen, was substituted ahead of the second half in Dublin as the Boys in Green vainly tried to reignite their bid for Russia.

But, ultimately, Martin O'Neill's side were outclassed by the Christian Eriksen-inspired Danes and Arter had to look on helpless from the sidelines.

The former Woking man's attentions will now turn back to the Premier League, with Cherries hoping to build on a positive return of six points from a possible nine.

And boss Howe is confident Arter is mentally ready to help the Dorset club continue their drive to pull away from the drop zone, starting with a home fixture against Huddersfield Town tomorrow (3pm).

Howe said: "When you are one game away from a World Cup, at Harry's age and with the career he's had to date, it would have been a huge thing for him personally and something he was desperately fighting for.

"So to have that snatched away in one game was heartbreaking for him. It was a really tough one and the manner of the result made it even more difficult.

"But that's football, it happens all the time. We have disappointing results. He's been there before. It's a setback and it's about how you react to that.

"I think he will use the experiences he had in the World Cup qualifying campaign. Ultimately, it ended in disappointment but he will bounce back from that.

"He's a fighter, a winner and someone with incredible spirit and determination to go again. Yes, he'll be disappointed but he will dust himself off and get ready for the next fight and the next challenge which is back with us.

"He's had incredible ups and downs during his career and this is just one little blip, a momentary setback. My main focus for Harry is to refocus on Bournemouth and make sure his mind is right for some huge games for us."

Arter's failed World Cup bid came two years after he had been cruelly denied a place in the Ireland's European Championship squad due to injury.

But he could soon have another crack at major tournament football when the Euro 2020 qualifiers begin in 16 months' time.

Howe added: "There is always another opportunity round the corner in football. You always have to look at those positive outcomes and I always say, for any player, whether an experience is good or bad, it's something to learn from.

"When you look back at the Wales and Denmark games, they are huge games and those type of environments can only make you a better player."