BOSS Eddie Howe revealed how “self-driven” Alex Dobre opted to remain at Cherries rather than going out on loan.

The Romanian under-21 international, who has had previous loan stints with the likes of Bury, Rochdale and Yeovil, made the decision to remain with Eddie Howe’s men for the first part of the season.

And the Cherries boss insisted Bucharest-born Dobre had “earned” his inaugural Cherries first-team appearance when he came off the bench against Luton in the FA Cup on Saturday.

Asked about the 21-year-old, Howe told the Daily Echo: “It was a great moment for him. I was very keen to reward Alex for his attitude, how he has conducted himself from day one of pre-season.

“He didn’t want to go out on loan. We gave him the option to. He wanted to stay and fight for his place.

“The one thing I ask from any player in the squad would be if you’re going to stay and fight for your place then make sure, if you’re not in the squad, there’s no negative reaction to that.

“You work and you work to improve. Alex has done that every single day – he’s been incredible.”

Dobre left his home in Romania at the age of 14 in a bid to make it as a professional footballer. He joined Cherries in 2016 as part of the under-21 setup at Vitality Stadium.

He netted twice for the under-21s earlier today, including a late winner in their 3-2 Central League Cup victory over Plymouth.

“He has been working and training for that moment he had on Saturday,” said Howe.

“He had earned it and it was really nice and refreshing for me to look at a young player who is going to do the work on his own sometimes, without us pushing him.

“A player that’s self-motivated, self-driven – they are the ones invariably to make it right to the very top, so I’m very pleased for him.

“He’s very much a unique person, a unique player. He has come a long way and developed a long way.

“This is just a small step for him but a really good taste and hopefully something he will never forget.”