Tyler Adams on return to Bournemouth: “I haven’t reached the peak of my abilities yet”

Tyler Adams was not part of Bournemouth’s trip to Ipswich Town on Sunday, but that hasn’t stopped the American midfielder from showing glimpses of his best in recent weeks.

Adams recently made his fourth straight start for the Cherries and sixth consecutive overall appearance. The 25-year-old has struggled to get back into the Bournemouth plans after missing most of the first half of the season through injury.

When Adams was brought in from Leeds United last summer, the hope was that he would jump straight into the squad following Jefferson Lerma’s move to Crystal Palace. However, injuries hampered his first year on the south coast, limiting him to just four appearances in all competitions.

Now with a good run of minutes under his belt, Adams admitted his confidence is back and his ambitions to improve as a player remain very high.

“I’m never satisfied with myself,” Adams said of Bournemouth’s 1-0 win over Tottenham last Thursday. “I can always do more, keep developing, keep developing. Obviously, I missed a lot of time, but I know what I’m capable of, I’m confident in my abilities. When I get a number of games, I know I will be an important player for this team. The guys around me have helped me a lot to settle back in, but I’m confident in my abilities.

“I haven’t reached the peak of my abilities yet,” he added. “I’m still young and I have to continue to develop, it’s not my ceiling yet. I will continue to push my ceiling.”

Andoni Iraola rested Adams this weekend after the midfielder made back-to-back 90-minute performances for the first time in 21 months. With the December schedule coming thick and fast for the Cherries, giving the 25-year-old a break here and there could do wonders for his long-term availability this season.

Iraola has not had Adams healthy and on the pitch too often since being appointed manager, but praised his ability in the current squad.

“The way he plays obviously fits very well with the things we do,” Iraola said of Adams. “He is very aggressive without the ball, very good at reading situations. Sometimes we have to put the breaks on him because he will go to anything. He is improving in these things.”

Bournemouth have a long gap until their next Premier League game, a home date with West Ham United on December 16.