Bournemouth skipper Simon Francis has been impressed with the impact summer signing Jack Stacey has made since arriving at the club. The right-back has played for a host of clubs in his career so far and signed from Luton in the summer for a fee of around £4million, prior to that he was at Reading.
The Royals are his boyhood club and he progressed through the Academy but he also spent time away on loan to get more experience and has turned out for Barnet, Carlisle and Exeter City in his short career so far.
Now, after impressing when been handed his chance at the Cherries, Francis believes that all that travelling and experience of playing through the league’s is helping him come to terms to top flight football.
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Stacey impressed in the summer in pre-season but was expected to have to bide his time for first team action but an injury to regular right-back Adam Smith, who picked up a hamstring injury against Leicester City, means he has got first team action sooner than expected.
The skipper says he has grabbed his chance with both hands. and settled into the side well, saying he was their standout player on his debut in the win over Everton. “He’s obviously come in for competition for Adam Smith and then he’s been biding his time because Smithy started the season really well,” said Francis.
“Unfortunately he picked up the injury against Leicester away from home and then Stace has come in and looked really good.”
Francis believes players who have come through the league’s have a hunger to succeed, adding: “You’ve played in the lower leagues so to be in the Premier League, I’m sure he’ll be chomping at the bit.”
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