Eddie Howe – Harry Arter’s Form Will Be “Rewarded” By Ireland

Eddie Howe believes Harry Arter will force his way into the Irish starting eleven.

Arter has been in inspired form for Bournemouth, and his manager has praised his “terrific” Premier League form.

The 26 year old has three caps for Ireland, the mos recent of which came in the 4-0 friendly win over Oman, but he has yet to play a competitive match for Martin O’Neill’s side.

This, combined with fantastical social media rumours, led to reports that Arter was planning to declare for England, but the midfielder dismissed those rumours as nonsense.

Arter missed the recent international break due to a hamstring injury, and he left Dean Court on crutches after Saturday’s 6-1 won victory over Hull.

When asked about Arter’s international prospects, Howe said:

“I think the players’ performance will dictate what happens on that side.

“They’ve got to get their Bournemouth form right first and the rest will follow.

“When you talk about Harry the last few weeks he’s been absolutely terrific for us. So I’m sure if he continues that form he’ll get rewarded.

“We’ve got some very good footballers here and some very intelligent footballers. The way we play, it’s not easy, it’s the hardest way to play I believe.

“So there’s a lot of responsibility on their shoulders, but they take that very well”.

The English-born midfielder could provide much needed creativity in the centre of Ireland’s midfield.

Martin O’Neill was at Dean Court on Saturday to watch Arter, who will be in contention to start Ireland’s next qualifier against Austria in Vienna.

This article originally appeared on The Season Ticket