FACING a former club is a common occurrence for professional footballers, a frequent fact of life in what can be a mercenary and cut-throat profession.

By no means a journeyman with just four permanent clubs under his belt, Ryan Fredericks has faced former employers three times over Cherries’ last four games.

But Saturday will be the first time Lewis Cook lines up against an old flame, the midfielder returning to where it all started, Leeds United.

After joining Leeds in 2004, Cook progressed through the ranks of an academy widely regarded as one of the best in the country, making his debut as a 17-year-old at the start of the 2014-15 campaign.

Somehow, Leeds and Cook’s current employers have remained separated since the midfielder swapped Yorkshire for the south coast in 2016.

There was a sliding doors moment in 2020, Cook suffering relegation from the Premier League whilst Leeds celebrated promotion back to the promised land of the top-flight after a 16-year absence.

At times last campaign it looked like a return would be off the cards, with the Whites teetering on the brink of safety whilst Cherries were battling for a spot at the top table, but in the end both sides guaranteed Premier League status for the 2022-23 campaign.

When Cook left Leeds in 2016, still a teenager despite reaching 85 appearances for the Whites, he was leaving what had long been labelled a sleeping giant, a club dormant in the mid-reaches of the Championship.

Cherries were on the up, heading into season two of a five-year stint in the Prem, but now the two clubs are in arguably as equal a position as they ever will be.

Only one point - and one place – currently separates the two clubs in the league table, Cherries in 14th, just above their hosts for the weekend, who sit 15th.

Newly promoted teams almost always start life in the top-flight mired in a relegation battle, whilst Leeds had hoped they would avoid the dogfight at the foot of the table after their brush with the drop last term.

Unfortunately for the Whites, that is not the case, meaning it is clear both sides will spend much of this campaign looking over the shoulders, keeping as much distance between themselves and the relegation spots.

That is why Cook is refusing to get bogged down in the emotion of his homecoming.

“I think overall for us all as players, every game in the Premier League is a massive, exciting occasion,” he began to explain to the Daily Echo.

“But for me, especially going back there, where I grew up and stuff, it’ll be a bit of a strange experience.

“I'm really looking forward to it. We all know it will be a great atmosphere.

“It will be an unbelievable occasion for us.

“But, I think once you cross that white line, you kind of forget everything in the background and just focus on the game.

“They're a top team as well, a lot of energy, and we've got to match that.”

Bournemouth Echo:

Into his seventh season as a Cherry, Cook is still only 25 years of age.

When he first burst into the first team picture at Elland Road at the age of 17, the central midfielder was often described as having the footballing brain of a veteran, a knack for reading the game largely possessed by those with years of experience.

Nine campaigns into his career, the one-time England international has experienced an awful lot of ups and downs since leaving Yorkshire.

On a club level, he has suffered relegation before helping Cherries regain their top division status last term.

There have also been personal low points, with Cook having to battle back from ACL ruptures on two occasions.  

“I’ve had a bit of a period out, but, I’ve never been back,” the York-born midfielder restarted.

“So I'll see what kind of reception I get.

“I’ll have a lot of people in the crowd, probably my friends and family that live up there still.

“It's an exciting time for me. I came through there and had a lot of great memories there and I owe a lot to that team.”

(Pictures: PA Images & Richard Crease)