AFC Bournemouth
For Junior Stanislas, age is just a number.
The elder statesman of the AFC Bournemouth squad, Stanislas celebrated his 33rd birthday on Saturday.
And as hungry and motivated as he was when he made his Premier League debut as a teenager, the winger is looking forward to resuming his 15th season as a professional.
The Cherries returned from their mid-season break on Monday when Gary O’Neil took his first training session as permanent head coach.
As Stanislas says, it was a decision well received by the players with O’Neil and his staff due to step up preparations for the restart of the season during a warm-weather camp in Dubai.
Stanislas told afcb.co.uk: “It’s good for all of us and especially with it being Gary. We couldn’t be too vocal but he’s the person we all hoped would get the job from the start.
“We all knew him and worked with him when he was first-team coach. He’s a great coach and a great person as well.
“We’ve had some good results so it’s good he’s been announced as full-time and the boys can continue the hard work under him.
“He’s a forward-thinking coach so I’m sure he already knew what he wanted for the team if he got appointed.
“Now he can implement exactly what he wants, whether that’s style of play or whatever, and he’s got more time to work with us. It’s great for him to start looking to the future.
“I was with him briefly at West Ham when I was very young. He’s been great with me since he’s been here, not just in his managerial role but even before as a coach. I’m looking forward to working with him permanently.”
Stanislas featured in the Cherries’ opening two Premier League games before a groin injury saw him sidelined for a couple of months.
He came off the bench against Southampton and Leeds and scored after starting the 4-1 win over Everton in the Carabao Cup. His next league appearance will be his 300th.
He said: “I feel good so let’s keep that going. I did some work during the break and we will have a lot of good work in Dubai as we build for the second half of the season.
“The injury was frustrating, probably more so than any other. We were back in the Premier League and I was getting some minutes on the pitch but then you get a setback.
“What can you do but work through it, get on with it and come back stronger.
“It was great to score against Everton and I always look for goals and assists. But, at the moment, I’m just trying to enjoy my football now I’m back and injury-free.
“I want to play as many minutes as I can and help the boys when I can. I’m a bit more senior now so I just try to be there for the lads and the team and try to help everyone out.
“I’m fine with being a year older and it has its pros and cons. I don’t like being called ‘old’ but I don’t mind being called ‘senior’.
“I’m pretty vocal so I like to speak to the younger boys and try to help them with my experiences.
“But at the same time, I still feel like I’ve got plenty to give so it’s a bit of a mix.
“I’m looking forward to the training camp in Dubai. A bit of warm weather will be nice and the boys get away from everything and really focus on the work.
“It will be hard work. We’ve had a few pre-seasons together as a group and it’s tough. This will be a mini version of that so the lads will work hard and be ready to go when we come back.”
