HEAD coach Scott Parker admitted Jordan Zemura would be a “big miss” while the full-back was at the Africa Cup of Nations but added: “Any experiences he can get of course are invaluable.”

The Cherries defender has joined up with his Zimbabwe international team-mates, as they get set for their second game of the tournament against Malawi in Cameroon tomorrow.

That means Zemura will miss Saturday’s Championship clash against Luton Town – with his absence from Cherries dependent on how far the Warriors go in the tournament.

Parker said: “He will be a big miss, really. I think we have seen that when he has not been involved in the team.

“When he has not started games, he has been a miss.

“Hopefully he stays injury free, he goes out there, gets experience and gets to play games and is successful with Zimbabwe.”

He added: “It’s big for Jordan, obviously a young player who has only really broken through this season.

“He is still very inexperienced, still learning the ropes and still trying to find out a real career for himself as well. I think that’s fair to say for Jordan.

“He has done incredibly for us but he’s still very young in his years, so any experiences he can get of course are invaluable.

“He’s gone away. He has at least two more games now because of obviously he was late, but we will see where it gets to.

“These experiences for him hopefully will be good. Hopefully he comes back fit and well and he can get back into the team depending on how others go – and push on from there.”

Zemura has been Cherries’ first-choice left-back this season, featuring 18 times and scoring three goals.

Parker himself competed in tournament football for his country, playing an integral role in England’s midfield at Euro 2012 under Roy Hodgson.

Asked how much he learned from playing in a competition like that, the 41-year-old told the Daily Echo: “I learned a lot. It was very different every day.

“You are (usually) very familiar with everything, you have your comforts of a training facility you have been around every day, your comforts of your physios and team-mates, the chefs, the dining rooms – all of a sudden now, as mad as it sounds, competition football is always different.

“Knockout football is different in terms of your mindset and understanding but the other side is exactly that.

“Different personalities, different environments, players, coaches, all these experiences give you knowledge and understanding of things and develop you as a person.

“How you adapt – you often find the best players can adapt, take information on which is totally different to what they are hearing every day in different circumstances and still perform – that will be key for this sort of football.”