CHRIS Mepham and Kieffer Moore will be part of Cherries’ travelling squad heading to Leicester City this weekend.

The Wales international duo have not made the starting XI or bench for each of Cherries’ past two Premier League fixtures.

They watched on from the stands as Gary O’Neil’s men lost 2-0 to Brighton & Hove Albion at Vitality Stadium on Tuesday night.

Asked if the pair, who both played a key role earlier in the season, would be part of the group for the huge relegation six-pointer at Leicester this weekend, O’Neil confirmed: “Yes, they will be in the squad tomorrow.”

Mepham and Moore, along with fellow fit and available outfielders Jordan Zemura and Jack Stacey, were left out of last weekend’s win over Fulham.

Asked after that game how much of his job now is about keeping the whole squad on board, O’Neil told the Daily Echo: “It’s down to the players as well as me.

“You have a choice as a footballer - whether you stay with the group or whether you decide that your own agenda and what you want to do is more important.

“Hopefully everybody respects how honest and open I am with them. The squad fully understands the situation.”

Bournemouth Echo:

Asked today who in particular he was referring to with those comments, O’Neil clarified: “Just the group. It wasn’t Mepham and Moore at that point.

“That was just that day that those two weren’t in it. The reason Mepham and Moore weren’t in the squad that day was because of the amount of players that we have, and you have a tough call.

“We could have left Tav (Marcus Tavernier) off, could have left (David) Brooks off, could have left Ryan Christie off, could have left Jaidon Anthony off.

“There’s loads of players that we could have left off the bench. That day it was decided that it was Meps and Kieffer Moore. Absolutely no issue with them at all.

“They’ve worked their socks off since and are both in a good place to hopefully impact a Premier League game, when needed.”

Discussing the luxury of having a deep squad to choose from, O’Neil added: “Of course, it just means you have to answer some questions from you guys as to why this person, why that person and then your answers can be taken in a way they weren’t meant.

“No issue at all with Kieffer and Meps. I get on really well with both of them and, as I told them at the time, they’ve both got a real big part to play.”

Mepham could return to the starting XI at King Power Stadium, with doubts over the fitness of Marcos Senesi, who suffered a hamstring injury against Brighton in midweek.