AFC Bournemouth development squad coach Shaun Cooper lauded Christian Saydee’s impact following his side’s 8-0 victory over QPR.

In their penultimate pre-season friendly, the development squad welcomed a category two academy side in the form of Queens Park Rangers to Canford Park Arena.

With four first-team players bolstering the Cherries ranks – Jamal Lowe, Emiliano Marcondes, Siriki Dembele and Ben Pearson – the side recorded a resounding victory.

After standing shoulder to shoulder with the senior players, Cooper highlighted 20-year-old Saydee for his impressive showing.

He told afcb.co.uk: “Christian has got so much ability and powerful attributes to be an attacking threat.

“Because the first-team players played, we played a different system and Christian played as our number nine.

“The one thing I mentioned to him before the game was about making runs into the box when the ball goes wide.

“Eventually, that’s where he scored his goal from, but he also had a real hand in seven of the eight goals.

“With his pressing, his recognition of triggers to go and force a mistake and his willingness to go and make runs into the box to be a threat himself and create space for other people.

“I thought he had a really impactful game. He only scored one goal, but he was involved in seven of the eight goals.”

The attacker had one goal to his name, while Marcondes and Lowe bagged a brace, and Pearson, Dembele and Brooklyn Genesini added one each.

With all four first teamers on the scoresheet, Cooper felt that provided an important marker for his players.

He explained: “The question I left the lads with after was, ‘If we didn’t have the four first-team players playing, would we have won that game 8-0?’

“They all answered no, so the question for us is, ‘Why is that and what do we need to do to bridge that gap?’

“It was a really good marker for our lads to see what that level of quality can do to impact a game; it’s what we’re all striving to get towards.

“The players now realise the levels which they need to get at. With time and constant work, hopefully, they’ll get close.”