GARY O’Neil will lead Cherries as interim head coach when they take on Wolves tomorrow evening – his first game as boss of a senior team.

A player with ample experience in the Premier League, with over 200 games played, O’Neil first arrived at the Vitality Stadium in February 2021, as coach under former Middlesbrough teammate Jonathan Woodgate, his first coaching role in the senior setup of a football club.

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Coincidentally, O’Neil has played alongside four of the last six Cherries bosses.

He played with both Eddie Howe and Lee Bradbury at Portsmouth, before going on to play with Scott Parker at West Ham and Woodgate at Middlesbrough.

A central-midfielder, O’Neil was still playing as recently as 2019 at the age of 36, being named Bolton’s player of the year despite relegation from the Championship.

He started his career on the south coast, featuring for former Cherries boss Tony Pulis at Portsmouth whilst still only 16.

A lengthy spell at Middlesbrough followed when he was signed by now England manager Gareth Southgate, before he joined West Ham, where he briefly played with Parker.

He reunited with another former Cherries boss, Harry Redknapp, at QPR, after the pair had worked together at Pompey.

The box-to-box midfielder finished his career with spells at Norwich, Bristol City, and the aforementioned Bolton, eventually retiring due to an Achilles injury.

O’Neil had started his coaching journey as assistant to Barry Lewtas, manager of Liverpool’s under-23 team.

Describing his time at Liverpool, O’Neil told afcb.co.uk shortly after his appointment:“They were brilliant with me.

“I can’t thank the guys there enough, Michael Edwards (former sporting director), Alex Inglethrope (academy manager), for giving me the opportunity.

“Coming out of playing to get a coaching job at that level, with that level of player, such a big club, champions of the Premier League, for me to go in there in the summer, and work with such high-level players.

“The first team were excellent, shared a lot of their stuff with us, a lot of their coaching ideas.

“It’s a really well-run club and academy, exactly how you would expect it to be really. Hopefully I can bring a lot of what I’ve learned down to Bournemouth."

After Woodgate departed the club prior to Parker's arrival, O'Neil remained a part of the coaching staff.

He has now also outstayed Parker on the south coast, with the 39-year-old set to work alongside development squad duo Shaun Cooper and Tommy Elphick, with Cherries on the hunt for a permanent new boss.