CHERRIES winger Marcus Tavernier believes he is back to full match sharpness after missing pre-season due to injury, stating that he feels “probably the best I’ve felt in a long time.”

Signed ahead of Cherries’ return to the Premier League last summer, Tavernier quickly became an established member of the first team.

Although his debut top-flight was marred by two hamstring injuries, the former Middlesbrough man proved a star turn, scoring five times and providing four assists in 23 appearances.

The start to Tavernier’s second season as a Cherry was halted by a knee injury suffered during the pre-season trip to Marbella, with the winger coming back to make a first appearance of the campaign away to Brentford at the start of September.

Tavernier came off the bench to great effect, setting up David Brooks for Cherries’ second in an eventual 2-2 draw in the capital.

Following the September international break Tavernier has made four starts, completing a full 90 minutes for the first time this season in the 3-0 defeat at Everton last time out.

Speaking to the Daily Echo, Tavernier shared: “I felt (against Everton was) probably the best I've felt in a long time.

"I mean, I've been looked after well by the physios and managing my minutes leading up to these games.

“(Everton) was the first time I felt back to my sharpness and back to being able to do what I can do.

“But it wasn't good enough and it doesn't matter how I do. I mean, it's a team performance, at the end of the day.

“And we weren't good enough as a team.”

READ MORE: Cherries star Tavernier calls on team to get basics right after Everton defeat

Whilst there are questions over Cherries’ depth in central midfield, there remains a plethora of options out wide.

Asked if he feared for his place in the team having missed the start of the season, Tavernier replied: “I mean, at this level, you need to have competition to play well.

“You need to have that competitive spirit in the team.

“We've got that now and it's the best thing we can have.

“I mean, for me, it's good to have that competition. It's going to bring the best out of me.”

Tavernier was one of a handful of Cherries not away on international duty or in the treatment room during the recent break, with boss Andoni Iraola recently sharing how training involved limited numbers.

Despite a lack of available players, Tavernier believes Cherries need to use the international break to “level up even more.”

“We've got to maintain the standard,” he continued.

“If not, I feel like right now we need to level up even more because we’re not showing our quality in games and we need to start doing that.

“We're in the best league in the world and we can't afford to not show our quality and not do the basics right first.”