GARY O’Neil is unsure yet whether James Hill will leave Cherries on loan this month as the club weigh up what is best for his development, adding: “It’s important we get that right.”

This week marked one year since centre-back Hill arrived at Vitality Stadium, joining on a £1million deal from League One Fleetwood Town, penning a contract until 2026.

But the 20-year-old has found game-time hard to come by, featuring just four times for the first team so far.

The England under-21 international has been linked with a move away this month, with clubs in League One reportedly interested in bringing him in on loan.

Asked if he would like Hill to head out to gain match experience during this transfer window, O’Neil told the Daily Echo: “I think James Hill is a young centre-back that did well in League One, has shown signs of improvement, especially in the last few weeks I’ve been really pleased with him in training.

“Since we’ve come back - the winter trip away and training here, he’s trained really well.

“But playing football is huge, especially at that age.

“For a centre-back, he’s still very, very young and has a lot still to learn.

“Whether that ends up being on loan or whether that ends up being with us and continuing to progress, we’ll have to see what happens.”

Cherries fought off reported competition from the likes of Southampton and Sheffield United to sign Hill last year, with Spanish giants Barcelona also said to have kept tabs on him.

Asked if Hill has developed as hoped in the past 12 months, O’Neil said: “It is a big step to the Premier League, from the Championship, let alone League one. It’s a huge step.

“He’s still a young lad, still plenty to learn, but he works hard, wants to improve.

“How we progress him and how we develop him, it’s important we get that right.”