CHERRIES boss Eddie Howe insisted being handed the captaincy as a player had drawn an extra 10 per cent out of him – and said the same could happen to Dan Gosling.

Former Newcastle and Everton star Gosling gave an all-action display when he skippered a side in the Premier League for the first time during Cherries’ 1-1 draw with Wolves on Saturday.

Andrew Surman would normally have assumed the role in the injury-enforced absence of Simon Francis but was named on the bench, while Steve Cook, third in line, was suffering with a groin problem.

It remains to be seen if Gosling will retain the armband, given Jefferson Lerma’s two-match suspension could see Surman return to the starting XI against Arsenal tomorrow, while Cook is still sidelined.

Asked if captaincy brought out the best in players, Howe told the Daily Echo: “I think it does.

“If you had said to me when I was young that I could feel differently entering a pitch having been given the armband, I would have said ‘no, that’s impossible’.

“But when I put the armband on, I think it raised my game by 10 per cent.

“I felt an ownership of the team and the responsibility that I had to give more, even though I already felt I was giving 100 per cent.

“Some of my best performances for the club were when I first took the armband and that’s the impact it can have.

“I think it definitely had that impact with Dan against Wolves. He was everywhere. He was excellent in duels and aerially, he was really strong.

“He also used the ball well so I was really pleased with him.

“We’ve asked a lot of Dan behind the scenes in terms of leadership and really trying to develop that side of his personality.

“He’s such a popular guy in the dressing room and is such a competitive lad. He’s definitely got a winning mentality so I had no issues giving him the armband.”

Howe feels other players in the Cherries camp have also shown their leadership qualities.

He said: “Against Wolves, there was big emphasis on players who you would not normally look at as leaders but who I believe will be leaders or are leaders already but in different ways.

“You have got Dan, who had a great game and really stepped up to the captain’s role.

“Nathan Ake is different to Steve Cook and other vocal players who have had the armband but leads in a really nice way. All the players respect him and really like him.

“Joshua King is looking after Dominic Solanke and making sure things are functioning well at the front end of the pitch.

“It’s great to see those players having that impact.”

Asked about his skipper role, Gosling said: “It was a huge honour.

“I wanted to play my own game and not change too much in the dressing room – I could have got around the referee a bit more but I was happy enough with the way it went."