EDDIE Howe said of Cherries midfielder Harry Arter: "We need him back to his very best."

Arter, who has not played 90 minutes in the Premier League since mid-December, featured in the 3-0 FA Cup defeat to Wigan on Wednesday.

The Republic of Ireland international could feature at West Ham tomorrow (3pm), a club he has repeatedly been linked with a move to.

Howe said: "I thought Harry was one of the bright spots against Wigan.

"But we have good competition with Dan Gosling and Lewis Cook playing exceptionally well, while Andrew Surman has been consistent over a long period.

"It's great to see everyone fighting for positions in the engine room of the team.

"We are looking for every player to be at their top levels and if we have that, we have an excellent squad.

"There are players who will have good spells and bad spells within a season, that's part of football. But we certainly need Harry and we need him back to his very best."