EDDIE Howe says Junior Stanislas is going to be a "hugely important player" for Cherries in the Premier League run-in.

The winger replaced the injured Joshua King to make his first top-flight start since December in Saturday's 2-1 defeat at Liverpool.

And the 30-year-old showed flashes of his ability, testing goalkeeper Adrian with a rasping effort before being substituted in the second half.

Stanislas has had plenty of fitness concerns himself, starting just two Premier League matches in the past 11 months due to hamstring and knee complaints.

But Howe was pleased with his impact at Anfield.

"I thought he did great," the Cherries boss told the Daily Echo.

"I thought he did fine. I think there's more to come from him, but I thought he showed very good discipline defensively, very good fitness levels.

"We brought him off again just to protect him and keep him fit because he's going to be a hugely important player for us."

Howe added: "He can be huge, as can all the other players that are battling to get fit, as can everybody in our squad. We need everyone now to really grow with the challenge and embrace the challenge that we face and give everything to the cause."