Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola has been impressed with James Hill following a “very good loan” at Rovers.

Hill spent the first half of the campaign at Ewood Park and was regularly involved, making 20 appearances in all competitions.

The versatile 22-year-old was recalled in January to bolster Bournemouth’s defensive ranks following injuries.

He made his first Premier League start against Liverpool a couple of weeks later but then picked up an ankle issue against Swansea in the FA Cup.

Hill was out of action for a couple of months but came off the bench for the final minutes of the win against Luton last week.

Iraola told The Daily Echo: “I watched a couple of his games, obviously not all of them. We knew that he was performing really well.

“Everyone also there at Blackburn was happy with his performances. He played as a centre-back and as a right-back.

“I think he has the defensive ability to cope with difficult players, like he did against Liverpool. He is someone that is going to be valuable, we have seen it since the beginning.

“I think he was really good in pre-season for us. He played a lot of minutes, I remember him starting quite a lot of games in pre-season.

“We were not especially looking for a loan or if he wanted to continue here, but I think it was a very good option for him to play for Blackburn. He did really well, I think it was a very good loan.

“Whenever you send one player on loan, it is what you want to happen – them to go there, start a lot of games, have good performances, come back and help the team again.”

Bournemouth currently sit 13th in the Premier League table and have taken seven points from their last three games.

The Cherries are back in action on Saturday, March 30 when they welcome Everton to the Vitality Stadium.