EDDIE Howe admitted a clone army of Marc Pughs would be every manager's dream.

Cherries boss Howe lauded Pugh for his "gold dust" attitude and application in the face of limited game time this season.

The tricky winger has featured in just two Carabao Cup games and has not played a single minute in the Premier League. But Howe remains a big fan of the 31-year-old.

He told the Daily Echo: "Marc is the model professional. If you could clone a footballer's mindset in terms of what you wanted from an individual, he would be the guy.

"He is dedicated, humble and a family man who practises his game. You never see him sulk or react badly to a negative situation.

"He leads the dressing room in terms of behaviour and players like that are absolute gold dust in the modern-day environment."

Pugh was named in Cherries’ Premier League squad for the first time this season at Newcastle last time out but did not come off the bench during the 2-1 defeat.

He has racked up 311 appearances for Cherries since his £100,000 move from Hereford in 2010, playing a crucial role in the club's journey from League One to the Premier League.

Howe said: "He puts the team before himself, which is what you want from everyone, but Marc delivers that every day.

"I have a lot of time for him. He has seen the club start the journey and is still involved in the journey, so he is a huge part of what we do."

The boss admitted it had proved difficult to tell the former Burnley ace he would not be involved in matchday squads.

"It is tough for me to tell him and for him to have to live with it," said Howe.

"I can only pick 11 to start and I have to pick a bench of seven within a squad of 24, so players miss out. Unfortunately, that is the part of the job I dislike the most but it has to be done.

"The most important thing is the players accept it and then do everything in their power to change their situation by working as hard as they can."

Pugh has impressed in his two appearances this season.

He showed versatility in the Carabao Cup clash with Norwich, filling in at right wing-back in the latter stages.

His other appearance, this time as a substitute, saw him deliver the crucial cross for Callum Wilson's winner against Blackburn in the third round of the competition.

"It is a mark of him as a man that he came on in a game that was in the balance and managed to swing it our way with the help of his team-mates," said Howe.

"There is no side to Marc. What you see is a great guy who wants to do well and is really passionate about football.

"He loves football and that really shines within the squad."