EDDIE Howe urged "maverick" striker Lys Mousset to remain "on the right side of experimentation".

The France under-21 international ended an 18-month wait for his first goal in a Cherries shirt when he lashed home during Saturday's 2-2 draw with Wigan in the FA Cup.

Cherries boss Howe is keen to see Mousset kick on and having praised the strengths of the former Le Havre man, explained he should ensure his actions on the field were always "positive".

Howe told the Daily Echo: "Lys is a talented kid and is only going to get better.

“He is a brave player and is not afraid to try things, experiment and use his talents. Hopefully, from this point he will improve.

“He has a touch of the maverick about him. He is capable of delivering the unexpected and that is one of his strengths.

"He just needs to make sure it is on the right side of experimentation because you don’t want a situation where you are unsure what a player is going to do in a negative way.

“He has got to make sure it is positive and I thought in the main against Wigan, he was.

“The good thing for Lys is that his fitness levels were good enough for him to be on the pitch at the end and I think that is a big breakthrough moment."

Mousset broke his duck on his 28th appearance for Cherries having played for 1,208 minutes without scoring.

And Howe believes the youngster's maiden strike will do him the power of good.

“It can do so much for him," said Howe.

“When you are a striker and you go to a new club, you are waiting for the first goal. It’s a big weight off his shoulders and it has come in the FA Cup. We are pleased for him.

“It’s been a long time coming because he has had so many chances to score and has been unlucky on so many occasions where it could have ended up differently.

“Hopefully, that is the first of many."

Cherries are due to travel to Wigan to replay the third-round tie next week.

And although his side are battling to avoid the drop from the Premier League, Howe says the Cherries camp will not be negative about an extra cup fixture.

He said: “Let’s have the positive mindset that we give players the chance to play again.

“We do have a squad and that’s why they are there, so we can rotate and look at new players.

“I think this game is a good thing for us. Let’s not be negative about it, let’s try to win it."

Cherries reached the fifth round of the FA Cup during the 2015-16 campaign but suffered a shock defeat to League One outfit Millwall in the third round last season.