CHERRIES boss Eddie Howe believes summer signing Jefferson Lerma is improving all the time.

Combative midfielder Lerma, who joined Cherries for £25million from Levante, has made five Premier League outings for the Dorset club.

The 23-year-old Colombian gave a solid performance in the 4-0 win at Watford on Saturday, providing protection for the back four and using the ball well.

Discussing Lerma’s impact since his arrival, Howe said: “His understanding of what we are asking him to do and his understanding of the league is improving all the time.

“From when he joined us to now, I think we have seen an improvement in his performances in every game.

“I was very pleased with him against Watford. It was the kind of game we signed him for.

“His physicality and defensive intelligence was really important to us. I thought he was outstanding.

“He’s very good with the ball. For us to sign a midfielder who is not technically good would be impossible given how we play.

“A couple of the passes he made were very good and that shows promise for the future because the more we work with him and the more he understands what we want, the better he is going to get.”