EDDIE Howe admits he has found it "difficult" to watch Cherries matches since he left the club earlier this year.

Howe departed from his second stint in charge in August, with his eight-year spell ending in relegation from the Premier League.

Former assistant boss Jason Tindall stepped up to take the top job and has made a good start to life in the Championship, while Howe takes some time out of the game.

Speaking on Sky Sports's Monday Night Football about life away from football, Howe said: "It's been very good. I've enjoyed a lot of family time with three young boys and an amazing wife. I've enjoyed that precious time with them which you don't really get in football management.

"I've certainly been watching the Premier League. I think Bournemouth's been difficult. I've had to separate myself from that because I care so much about the club.

"But definitely the Premier League, keeping myself involved in the game has been crucial.

"I'm very fit, I've been working out during lockdown to keep myself in good shape and ready to go. I feel good physically."

Asked what else he has been doing to pass the time since leaving Cherries, Howe added: "It's difficult with lockdown because obviously committing to that means my options of what I imagined I might be able to do are gone in terms of watching other people work and travelling around the world gaining knowledge and just improving myself.

"So it's a pretty lonely existence in terms of doing that at home and reading.

"I've always been very interested in all sorts of ways of bettering myself, whether that's just as a person rather than looking at football."