Hiking, eyeing up a loan abroad and Category One - Young winger Rees-Dottin

REMY Rees-Dottin is in his element. Surrounded by mountains, the keen hiker is loving the setting of the Cherries’ pre-season training camp in Austria – but, frustratingly, and perhaps understandably, the trails are off-limits for the 20-year-old during the camp.

Nevertheless, Rees-Dottin is enjoying his second experience of a first-team pre-season tour, after he headed to the USA with the group last summer.

He sat down with the Daily Echo to talk about the season to come, the camp so far and potential for a loan move abroad to get some regular minutes in men’s football.

Cherries appoint Kurth as Rose's assistant

Cherries appoint new keeper coach as Stewart leaves in department reshuffle

Six clubs make approach for Scott - but midfielder not for sale for any price

Silva to play for Benfica in qualifier tonight as move to Cherries 'under control'

Cherries set to get pre-season friendlies underway vs German side St Pauli

"I've been just spending more time with the first team and this group of players coming back from the offseason, and my first couple weeks with the development squad has been really good," Rees-Dottin said, reflecting on pre-season so far.

"And obviously training with these views in the background, you can't really beat it.

"So yeah, I've really enjoyed it so far."

Remy Rees-Dottin. (Image: NQ)

A quick look at Rees-Dottin’s Instagram and his passion for hiking becomes clear – trips to Kyrgyzstan and the Swiss Alps feature, although he won’t get the chance to head into the mountains around Saalfelden while with the club for the next week or so.

"Obviously, this is my perfect setting!" he said.

"I couldn't ask for much more than that, but it pains me a little bit knowing I won't be able to do any hikes up here.

"I know there's a couple trails down near the pitch as well, so yeah, unfortunately not, but I'm still loving it regardless."

Rees-Dottin has been loving training with the first team under new head coach Marco Rose, who he described as a "great person", with a "great group of staff", too.

"I'm really just trying to push as much as I can, try to fight for a spot up here," he said.

"Obviously keep fit, keep mentally right as well.

"So whether an opportunity comes to me for a loan or anything, I'm ready for that.

"If I'm not making it into this team, I'm just ready for anything and ready for some men's experience this season."

(Image: Robin Jones/AFC Bournemouth)

A loan, then, is what Rees-Dottin is hoping for this summer.

"I think at this point in my career, obviously I'm 20 now, so I think it's come to a point where I need to be getting some regular minutes in men's football," he explained.

"So whether that's staying around here and fighting for a spot this preseason, this coming season as well, or looking at what opportunities come up to me, I’ve just got to wait and see what kind of happens until the end of the window, really."

The winger is eyeing up a loan move abroad – ideally somewhere with some good hiking trails around!

"I think being able to experience a new culture, a new style of football, and just experience the life of a different country, living there properly, I think really appeals to me," he said.

"Not to say obviously I'd turn down a Championship or League One move.

"Obviously if it's the right club and right fit for me, then I'm going to pick what's best for me.

"But in my state of mind right now, I'd probably be choosing somewhere abroad, yeah."

(Image: Richard Crease)

Rees-Dottin said the camp, for him, is about impressing the staff and grabbing any opportunity he’s given with both hands.

"I think anytime I'm up here, I'm really trying to prove what I can do, whether that's last season when I've already been up for a few weeks," he said.

"I'm still trying to prove that I can do more and I can compete for a spot and compete with players of this calibre.

"So it's really the same as what I've been doing over the past couple seasons, just to a new manager and new management staff.

"So yeah, hopefully we'll get some minutes in the next couple games, but if not, I'm still going to be training as hard as I can, trying to prove my worth to the team and my worth to him [Rose]."

Rees-Dottin has been at the Cherries since he was 12.

In the eight years since, the club has progressed from a Category Three academy to a Category One, with that confirmed earlier this summer.

He said the progress made had been "incredible".

"All the staff, all the players are over the moon and we're really excited to obviously being able to play the best teams in England and really show other teams that we are capable of playing at this level," he said.

"We do have an amazing squad, whether that's development squad or A-teams.

"We have really good players and obviously we can compete with the big teams."

He continued: "Obviously when I came when I was 12, obviously I'd just been released from Southampton, so I kind of was used to that Cat One life experience.

"So coming to Bournemouth when we were Cat Three, it was really a mental shift for me.

"And seeing the old training ground at Canford where obviously our changing rooms were tiny, it was freezing in the winters and boiling in the summers to the facilities now over the last couple years, it's just been incredible.

"Even when I was an under-18 and we just started building the new facilities, and obviously we only had the outside astro, and later on we had the dome, even the change from then to now, it's just like indescribable.

"And all the players are so grateful and so happy to obviously be here."

This season brings European football for the first time to Bournemouth, and with that comes regulations around home-grown players in their UEFA squads.

Remy Rees-Dottin. (Image: NQ)

While Rees-Dottin is eyeing up a loan, should he be needed to fill one of those home-grown spots, then he’ll jump at the opportunity.

"Obviously, still for me personally, I do want to be playing men's football," he said.

"I've had my time of sitting on the bench that I've been so thankful for over the last couple of seasons and being able to experience Premier League matchdays.

"But if one of them homegrown spots are for me, then it's for me.

"If there's another opportunity for me and it's better, then obviously I'll take that. I'm going to look for my best interests. So yeah, just got to wait and see really."

The ultimate goal for the 20-year-old, though, is having an injury-free season.

"I think the main one for me personally is coming off the back of quite a bad injury last season," he said.

"Obviously, I got injured the day after our first Premier League game, up until around Christmas time.

"So for me, I just want to stay fit, stay mentally right, physically right, and just make sure everything's in check and hopefully stay injury-free for the whole season.

"That's my goal and that's my main ambition."