EDDIE Howe revealed he had a "long chat" with Callum Wilson upon the striker's return from England duty, which was tarnished by racist abuse in Bulgaria.

Cherries star Wilson was introduced as a late substitute in Sofia, in a Euro 2020 qualifier marred by scenes in the crowd which led to the game being twice paused to warn fans against racist behaviour.

Discussing the scenes in Bulgaria, Howe said: "I spoke with him (Wilson) yesterday and had a long chat about the situation. (It was) incredibly disappointing to see.

"I watched it live and it was a tough watch. Although you couldn't hear anything, you could sense what was happening at the stadium.

"I have to say, I thought Callum and the rest of the England players acted with real class and did a brilliant job dealing with the situation and then getting on and playing the game and he played ever so well as well. Full credit to everyone involved with how they reacted I think."

He added: "I think the way they handled the situation was excellent. In terms of the protocols and everything like that and how we should handle things in the future, it’s such a big topic of conversation.

"I think I’d leave that to other people. But in terms of the guys involved and the way they spoke to each other and conducted themselves, I thought they were faultless."

Asked how Wilson had responded since the evening, Howe said: "Callum's fine.

"He's a very, very strong character and unfortunately it's nothing new for him to have to deal with.

"No affects on him mentally, he's fine."

There has been discussion since Monday evening whether England should have refused to play the second half against Bulgaria.

Asked if he would have taken his side off the pitch, Howe said: "Personally, I don't think I would've done.

"I think playing the game and winning and performing and showing your best abilities is the right way to answer any type of comments.

"Players want to play and I think you could see that from the England team.

"It's just my opinion, but I don't think you want to see games stopped and almost that vile abuse to win.

"It's a big topic of conversation and everyone will have a different opinion."