MARC Pugh admitted it would be “really difficult” to exit Cherries but insisted: “I can’t wait around forever.”

The stalwart winger scored his first goal in a major competition since August 2017 during Saturday’s 3-1 home defeat to Brighton in the FA Cup.

Pugh’s stunning strike proved only a consolation as Cherries bowed out of the competition at the third-round stage for the third successive season.

And having held talks with boss Eddie Howe over his future, Pugh, who has not featured in the Premier League this campaign, did not rule out a January move away from Vitality Stadium.

He told the Daily Echo: “My contract is up at the end of the season and I can’t wait around forever. I want to play football.

“I can’t really say too much more about it but we’ve had chats and he (Howe) knows how much I want to play.

“It’s the most important thing to me and I am not happy to just sit around. If you run down your contract, it’s a difficult position to be in.

“I have a lot to think about this January.

“I just want to play. This is probably the longest amount of time I’ve been out of the team.

“It’s not me and I get frustrated. Luckily, I have got an amazing family behind me. My wife and kids take my mind off football and keep me grounded.”

Snapped up by Howe from Hereford for a bargain £100,000 in 2010, Pugh has racked up 312 appearances for the Dorset club in all competitions.

His goal against the Seagulls was his 56th in a Cherries shirt.

Asked about conversations he had had with Howe over his future, the Bacup-born star added: “We have had a couple of chats – he knows where I am and I know where he is.

“We have had a connection since I have been here and you can talk to him about anything.

“We have had an amazing relationship. He’s an incredible man and an incredible manager.

“Without him, I would not be playing in the Premier League. He has done amazingly for this club.

“It would be really difficult to leave this club but I know I need to play football.”

Efforts from Anthony Knockaert, Yves Bissouma and Florin Andone ensured Cherries were dumped out of the cup.

Giving his thoughts on the loss, the 31-year-old said: “The goals we conceded were poor. We got ourselves back into the game and were champing at the bit for five or 10 minutes.

“We put them under a lot of pressure but they went up the other end and scored. It was an uphill task again.

“If we had scored the first goal early on when we had a really good chance, it may have been a different game but we gave the ball away sloppily at times and need to do better.”