Manchester United youngster Ethan Laird endured an up-and-down season on loan in his first taste of the Championship.
The 20-year-old spent the first part of the campaign at Swansea City before swapping to promotion-chasing Bournemouth in January. The decision was made by Laird's parent club to try and get him action within a team fighting at the top end of the division as opposed to the mid-table Swans.
And while Laird only managed to make six appearances for the Cherries, the season ended on a high as Scott Parker's side clinched a Premier League return by finishing second. "I didn’t stop screaming for days after the Forest game, I was keeping the vibes going in camp," Laird told Bournemouth's website, referring to the 1-0 win over Forest which secured automatic promotion.
“I realise that there are repercussions to that – losing my voice! I think it’s been very easy to see our feelings about promotion, we’re all buzzing. We stuck to our task the whole season. Obviously, I came in January and I feel for the lads because they’ve been working their butts off since the start of the season and now we're at the promised land.
"Being here and experiencing a promotion, being in a Championship side, working for promotion, there’s a lot of pressure, a lot of things that come with it. But it’s all happy, happy feelings and we’re just going to keep doing what we do. Everyone’s happy, everyone’s buzzing, the fans are buzzing, the gaffer’s happy – I’m speechless.”
Laird's spell at the Vitality Stadium threatened to turn sour at one point when he was consistently left out of matchday squads by Parker. Parker touched on the issue last month praising Laird's patience and attitude.
He said: "He’s done very well. Why I’m pleased for him is because he had it pretty tough, to be honest with you. He’s come into the building, was injured, spent a long time out.
"He then had it tough in terms of trying to get into the team and even around the team. I was always in close dialogue with him, explaining to him, being very honest with him what he needed to do, what he needs to bring and how he needs to apply himself to get himself in the team.
"And he's done every bit of it and he’s earned his right to be in the side. He’s waited for a moment."
Laird is under contract at United until 2023, with the option to extend for a further year. He has played two senior games for the Red Devils, both coming in the Europa League in 2019. He spent the 2020-21 season at MK Dons and reunited with Russell Martin at Swansea in the first part of this season, making 20 Championship appearances.
