Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe has revealed that he had no set targets prior to the start of the season, but is satisfied with his players' mentality despite losing three key members to injuries.

Tyrone Mings, Max Gradel and Callum Wilson are all facing lengthy spells on the sidelines, while Tommy Elphick has been ruled out for 10 weeks with an ankle injury.

Since earning promotion to the Premier League, the Cherries have won two, drawn two and lost four, leaving them 15th in the table.

"I don't think we had a target in terms of where we wanted to be, we just wanted to be the best that we could be in every game," Howe told Sports Mole.

"We certainly wanted to get some early wins to give us confidence - that was the key thing. I think we've built confidence, not necessarily from the wins, but from our performance levels. So, I'd say the squad mentally at this stage is in a good place."

Bournemouth will take on former English champions Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.