EDDIE Howe admitted he had to have faith in his players regarding their conduct and professionalism away from football.

The Cherries boss was speaking after reports emerged that Arsenal's Alex Iwobi had partied until the early hours ahead of the Gunners’ FA Cup exit at Nottingham Forest.

According to The Sun, the 21-year-old was filmed dancing in central London at 2.37am last Saturday in a video uploaded to Snapchat.

He then played 90 minutes on Sunday as the holders crashed to a 4-2 defeat at the hands of their Championship opponents.

Speaking generally on the subject of player behaviour, Howe told the Daily Echo: “Unfortunately, you can’t live for them.

“You can’t shadow them and be with them all the time, so you have to trust they are going to make the right decisions for their career and for themselves.

“You want them to enjoy their private lives and enjoy their life, because you only get one.

“But in the back of their minds they always have to remember they are representing the football club, representing the supporters and the town.

“In this day and age, their conduct is always watched, analysed and followed, so it’s very important they remember they are professional athletes at all times.

“It has changed dramatically with technology and social media. The players need to be aware of that.”

Iwobi, who has started three of Arsenal’s past four games in all competitions, could line up against Cherries at Vitality Stadium on Sunday (1.30pm).

In May last year, Cherries defender Tyrone Mings got himself in hot water when clips of him partying in Dublin – sporting a Gary Barlow face mask – did the rounds.

Again speaking generally, Howe stated that reminding players about behaviour away from the field was no bad thing.

“You have to speak to them about it because attitudes and characteristics of people change,” he added.

“I have seen that change since I have become a manager and finished playing.

“The generation coming up now is different to the previous generation and that will continue to be the case with changes in how people think.

“Getting them to understand what we expect of them is very important.”

Asked whether off-field conduct had an influence on his recruitment, Howe replied: “It’s very important with the characters and the attitudes you bring into the team.

“Football is a unique environment. You can speak to people and find out about people but you never truly know how they are going to react until you are working with them.

“That is not just in the group but with people within the team and how that has a bearing on their behaviour. It’s a very delicate one.”