Marcus Tavernier enjoyed a memorable first season in the Premier League after joining AFC Bournemouth from Championship outfit Middlesbrough ahead of the start of 2022/23.
He scored five goals and supplied four assists in 23 appearances, his exploits helping the Cherries preserve their top-flight status with four games to spare.
Tavernier, who would have featured more but for a nagging hamstring injury, became the first Cherries player to both score and assist in back-to-back Premier League games, achieving the feat against Leeds and Everton in November 2022.
His stunning strike in the 2-1 win against Fulham in April 2023 earned him the Strategic Solutions goal of the season, while he was also voted player of the season by the club’s Junior Cherries.
Tavernier also picked up the Michael Matthews Jewellery player of the month award for November as well as being nominated in August, September and April.
The highly-rated midfielder moved to Vitality Stadium after scoring and assisting five times for Middlesbrough in 2021/22, his most fruitful season for the club.
Born in Leeds, he comes from a strong footballing family and is the brother of Rangers captain, James Tavernier.
He joined the Boro academy at under-14 level before soon being elevated to train with the under-23s and then the first team.
He made his first-team debut in a 3-0 win over Scunthorpe United in the second round of the League Cup in August 2017 before bagging his first senior goal in a 3-1 defeat by the Cherries in the fourth round of the competition.
Tavernier earned hero status among Boro fans when he netted his first Championship goal – the winner in a 1-0 victory over arch rivals Sunderland at the Riverside Stadium in November 2017.
He made eight appearances during a loan spell with MK Dons in 2017/18 before establishing himself in the first team at Boro, playing 27 games and scoring four goals in 2018/19.
Tavernier continued to show his worth as one of the brightest young talents in the Championship and quickly became one of Middlesbrough’s shining lights.
He made 155 appearances and scored 18 goals in all competitions for Boro before penning a five-year contract when he joined the Cherries for an undisclosed fee.
The midfielder proved to be an invaluable addition in his debut season at Vitality Stadium, adding five goals and four assists in 23 appearances.
Tavernier scored his first goal in the 4-3 defeat to Leeds United just prior to the World Cup break, adding two assists in the game, before grabbing another of each in the following game with Everton.
A hamstring injury kept him out until February, returning to score against Wolves in a crucial away game.
He aggravated the injury in that fixture but returned in April for more pivotal moments, sparking a comeback against Fulham with a stunning long-distance strike, which was named the club's goal of the season.
Tavernier scored the winning goal against Southampton at St Mary's Stadium as the Cherries ensured Premier League survival.
His build-up to the 2023/24 campaign was disrupted with a freak knee injury sustained in the warm-weather camp in Marbella and he missed the opening three games of the season. He returned in the trip to Brentford, latching on to Rico Henry's under-hit back-pass to set-up David Brooks.
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