HEAD coach Scott Parker insists trialling winger Kyle Edwards has done “very, very well” but holds his cards close to his chest on offering him permanent terms, saying “we’ll see a bit more of him and make a call on that.”

Edwards, 23, came off the bench to feature for Cherries midweek in the friendly against Chelsea and almost had a dream start when Jack Stacey’s pull-back saw the former West Brom man all-but convert, but for a point-blank save.

Although Blues stopper Eduoard Mendy had denied him a certain goal with one of his first touches, Parker recognises the difficulty of being thrust into a game after only a day’s action with the squad.

Edwards is a former England under-20 international and departed the Baggies after a 17-year spell with his local side this May, following the expiry of his contract – he made 26 Championship appearances in the 2019-20 promotion-winning season.

Asked about the young winger, Parker said: “I think he did extremely well in the circumstances, Kyle.

“He’d been with us for one day, practically done a low-level session, had not worked with us tactically. And to bring him on against Chelsea for 45 minutes, the boy was right up against it in that sense.

“Fair play, I thought he did very, very well. So I’ve been impressed with Kyle.

“We’re weighing that up. He’s with us now for another week or so. So we’ll make a call, see a bit more of him and make a real call on that in terms of what we do nearer that time.”

With the future of Arnaut Danjuma still unknown to Parker and an already thin squad, it is highly likely that he will need added depth in wide positions.

While Edwards will be no direct replacement for the proven quality of the Cherries’ Dutch talisman, he will represent a cost-effective squad option and was in the past described by former Baggies manager Darren Moore as an exciting talent.