SUMMER signing Lloyd Kelly revealed how he had settled into Cherries’ squad and said he had been welcomed with “open arms”.

Signed from Bristol City for a fee believed to be around £13million in May, the England under-21 international has played in both of Cherries’ pre-season clashes with AFC Wimbledon and Girona.

And the defender, who had featured at both left-back and centre-half across the two games, said he had already begun his learning process under boss Eddie Howe.

Assessing his beginning to life with Cherries, Kelly told afcbTV: “It’s been good. I have spoken to loads of the boys and especially the gaffer and I feel like I am picking up a lot of things the gaffer wants us to do - which is a positive, especially early on into this pre-season.

“I feel like that’s the way I want to keep it going, just picking up things here and there to improve my game as much as I can.

“The boys here have been fantastic. The way they have let me into their group with open arms is all good.”

Renowned for his intense work with players in training, Howe’s squad today return from a 12-day Spanish training camp.

Asked about the toughness of the sessions, 20-year-old Kelly said: “It’s good you get a blow in training so when you come into the games you don’t feel uncomfortable.

“The Premier League this season is going to be fast. We are going to have to use a lot of athleticism, which we are putting into practice during these pre-season games and in training."