BOSS Eddie Howe believes Hugo Faria is the perfect fit for Cherries' coaching set-up.

The former Portugal under-20 international recently joined the Dorset club as a first-team assistant coach.

During his playing career, Faria featured for a host of teams across Europe including Cypriot side Enosis Neon and Greek club Kalloni.

The 35-year-old holds the UEFA A Licence and has coached in the youth ranks at Livingston, Airdrieonians and Portuguese outfit Louletano Desportos Clube.

Howe told the Daily Echo: “Expanding our coaching set-up has been something I have wanted to do for a while.

"He’s had a lot of experiences in European football and brings a unique flavour of different ideas.

“It was a natural part of our evolution to bring a Spanish-speaking, multilingual coach into the group, with the way the game is going and the way our recruitment may well go in the future.

“He seems a great person with great energy. He is very positive and certainly fits the mentality I’m looking for."

Howe bolstered his squad over the summer with the signings of Jefferson Lerma and Diego Rico from La Liga outfits Levante and Leganés, respectively.

However, he played down suggestions Cherries would prioritise foreign recruits in future transfer windows following Faria's arrival.

“I wouldn’t draw too many conclusions from it but we have a group of players who need to be communicated with perfectly," said Howe.

“We can’t take chances on information which may get lost. For that alone, it was important."