CHERRIES midfielder Lewis Cook revealed that he looks up to boss Scott Parker – and believes that there is plenty the one-time England captain can teach him.

Once Cook had shaken off the rust brought on by a lengthy injury lay-off, he became a key cog in Parker’s side as Cherries finished off the job to return to the Premier League at the second time of asking.

Capped 18 times by his country, Parker boasts multiple personal accolades, including being named in the PFA’s Team of the Year in 2012 and a Football Writer’s Association Player of the Year award for his performances in 2011.

In total, Parker made 368 Premier League appearances, placing him 61st in terms of all-time Premier League games played.

Cook, on the other hand, has made 75 appearances in the top-flight, and has a solitary cap for England, against Italy in 2018.

When asked by the Daily Echo if he looked up to Parker due to their shared position on the football pitch, Cook responded: “I do look up to him, definitely.

“I think we all do. When someone's had a career like that and they’re manager, you automatically respect them before even coming through the door.

“So it's been great for us and stuff, and he's been really good for us all.

“He's had a great career and he's a great manager as well, with a real sense of he knows what he wants from the lads and a clear way of playing, which is great for a team.”

As a promising star at Charlton, Parker was known for his thrusting runs from midfield and his tendency to produce sublime strikes from range.

In his latter years, he became a lynchpin in both Tottenham and West Ham’s midfield, with a deeper role seeing him excel due to his positioning, tenacity and passing range.

Those qualities are apparent in Cook’s own game, with the youngster praised for his maturity and calmness on the ball when he made his debut as a 17-year-old for Leeds United.

When asked if his head coach took an extra interest in sharing knowledge with Cook thanks to their shared traits, the 25-year-old responded: “Definitely - I think obviously he had a lot of strengths in his game, which he probably tries and explain to me and things, and he knows my strengths as well, which he tries to get out of me.

“So it's a good balance we’ve got and hopefully I can just keep feeding off his experience and obviously his quality when he was a player.”