CHARLIE Daniels backed fellow full-back Diego Rico to be an “asset” for Cherries in the Premier League.

The Spanish star made his first top-flight start since September during Sunday’s 4-1 defeat at Manchester United.

Signed from La Liga outfit Leganes for £10.7million in the summer, Rico has made just four league starts since switching to the Dorset club.

He came in for the clash at Old Trafford after both Simon Francis and Adam Smith had been sidelined through knee injuries.

In his seven league appearances, Rico has been on the losing team on six occasions and is yet to help Eddie Howe’s men to a top-flight clean sheet.

But Daniels, who made the transition to play in a back three against United, insisted the 25-year-old had boosted the strength of Cherries’ ranks.

He told the Daily Echo: “There is no reason why he can’t step up and be an asset for the club.

“He is a great player and a great addition to our squad.

“Technically he is very good and the more he plays, the more he is going to get better – just like anyone.

“Hopefully he gets a nice run of games now and with Smudge (Adam Smith) coming back, hopefully soonish, we are looking healthy again.”

Daniels himself had come in for criticism during recent weeks following mistakes leading to goals conceded against Wolves and Tottenham.

But the experienced defender vowed to graft in wake of the errors as Cherries look to bounce back from eight defeats in 10 league games.

Asked what it had been like to deal with criticism in the top-flight compared to lower down the Football League, former Leyton Orient star Daniels replied: “It’s totally different with the press and everything around it, as well as the TV and other media.

“It gets highlighted a lot and you come in for a lot more stick.

“But that’s why you play in the Premier League. If you score a goal or get man of the match, you get the plaudits which come with it. It goes hand in hand.

“If you make a mistake - more often than not - you get punished.

“You just have to stand up and take it, keep working hard and get yourself through it.

“Everyone makes mistakes, it’s about getting over it and trying to move on.”

Assessing the defeat to United, in which Nathan Ake’s first-half goal proved in vain for the visitors, defender Daniels said: “It was the same old story with us in these past few weeks. Letting in silly goals we need to stop doing.

“We can’t concede goals and then start trying to play. It’s something which happened against Spurs and again on Sunday.

“We have been on runs like this before and we are only going to get out of it through hard work.

“We have lost five or six on the bounce before and we have stuck there, grown as people and as players and got through it. We have to do that again with everyone.”

Cherries host Watford in the Premier League on Wednesday (7.45pm).