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Eddie Howe: Why Tyrone Mings left Bournemouth for Aston Villa

David Brooks, Lloyd Kelly, Arnaut Danjuma, Dan Gosling, Lewis Cook, Simon Francis and Junior Stanislas all ruled out for Saturday's game

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Tyrone Mings will face former club Bournemouth for the first time this weekend since his move to Aston Villa in the summer, and Eddie Howe says there is 'no doubting' his qualities as a defender

Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe says he sold Tyrone Mings to Aston Villa over a lack of first-team football, with Nathan Ake preferred in defence.

Howe revealed that Mings and Ake, both left-footed central defenders, had been "fighting for the same shirt" but the battle was ultimately won by the Netherlands international, as Mings joined Villa for £25m this summer.

Mings spent four seasons at Bournemouth, playing just 17 Premier League games, but was loaned out to Villa in January, played a key role in their promotion via the Sky Bet Championship play-offs, making 18 appearances.

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Dean Smith insists Tyrone Mings does not have a point to prove against his former club Bournemouth

Villa made their top-flight return against Tottenham on Saturday, producing a strong performance despite eventually losing 3-1, with Mings among the players to stand out and new boss Dean Smith thinks he is good enough to earn an England call-up in the near future.

That opinion was echoed by Howe, who was full of superlatives for the 26-year-old, admitting that he has been unfortunate with injuries on the south coast and that he was looking forward to catching up with the player.

"Tyrone Mings has got all the attributes (to play for England)," Howe said on Friday. "He's been unfortunate with injuries. He was never able to get that run in the team that he wanted.

"He was fighting with Nathan Ake for the same shirt. It's no surprise he's done so well at Aston Villa. He'll have that in his mind (England) as something he can achieve.

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Nathan Ake
Image: Nathan Ake won the battle against Tyrone Mings for a starting spot

"My players know how good Tyrone Mings is, having trained with him over a long period of time. We know him well, he knows us well.

"There's no doubting his qualities as a player. Very good on the ball, very athletic, very strong and very good in the air.

"I think it will be a good match-up between our front players and him, it will be interesting to see how those duels come out in the match. But we wish him well for the future and it will be good to catch up with him."

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Highlights from Bournemouth's 1-1 draw with Sheffield United in the Premier League

The Cherries were held 1-1 by Sheffield United - promoted alongside Villa last season - on the Premier League opening day and Howe's side have been severely hit by injuries already this term.

Key midfielder David Brooks, summer signings Lloyd Kelly and Arnaut Danjuma, Dan Gosling, Lewis Cook, Simon Francis and Junior Stanislas are all ruled out for Saturday's trip to Villa Park.

However, one player who made his Premier League debut at the Vitality Stadium last week was goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale - starting ahead of Asmir Begovic, Artur Boruc and Mark Travers - and Howe says it is his shirt to lose.

The England U21 international enjoyed a successful spell on loan at Wimbledon in Sky Bet League One last season, helping them survive relegation and scooping two Player of the Year awards.

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Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe says young goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale will dictate whether he remains No 1 with his performances

"Aaron Ramsdale will dictate what happens from this point onwards," Howe added. "We believe in Aaron. He is a very talented young goalkeeper and has had good experiences out on loan.

"He did very well in his loan spell at Wimbledon. On the back of the pre-season he delivered, where he was hugely impressive, I felt he deserved to start (against Sheffield United) and did well in the game.

"I was very pleased with him. But like other positions at this football club, the future of the shirts and who wears them will be dictated by the players themselves.

"From Aaron's perspective, I'm sure he's enjoyed the different experiences he's had and in this moment now I'm sure he wants to grab every chance he can get."

When quizzed about rumours linking Jordan Ibe with a loan move to Celtic, with the Hoops able to move for the winger until the Scottish deadline on September 2, Howe replied: "Jordan is an integral part of our squad.

"No (he will not be leaving)."

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