Hill 'grabbing opportunity with both hands'

Every man and his dog are aware that Bournemouth lost the entirety of their defensive unit from last season, but recently, it has allowed a relatively unknown name to take his opportunity.

Following the departures of elite centre-backs Dean Huijsen and Illia Zabarnyi in the summer, the Cherries reacted by bringing in Bafode Diakite and Veljko Milosavljevic.

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After an impressive few performances, Milosavljevic has been sidelined with a knee injury and, with Diakite still struggling to adapt to life in the Premier League, it was a dilemma as to who should partner Marcos Senesi in the Cherries' backline.

In recent games, Andoni has opted to give James Hill his opportunity and the young defender is grabbing it with both hands. Despite being chucked in at the deep end against both Chelsea and Arsenal, Hill has performed excellently and even added a calming presence to a somewhat shaky defence.

Given he has sat on the bench intently watching our style of play, there is something to be said about a player who can step in, knowing exactly what his manager requires for his centre-backs - so what he might lack in finesse he makes up for with know-how.

Having signed from Fleetwood in January 2022, the 23-year-old has always been seen as a backup player in the squad and has had loan spells at Hearts and Blackburn during his short time on the south coast.

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After waiting in the wings for limited opportunities, he is starting to show his quality and could well be pivotal in solving the Cherries' defensive issues.

Given he has already accumulated caps at England Under-20 and Under-21 level, Hill evidently 'has something' and now may be the time that this shows itself on the main stage.

Find more from Sam Davis at Back of the Net