LEWIS Cook feels it is “hard to fully grow up” as a footballer, adding: “It consumes you every day.”

Cook, 27, this summer penned a new contract at Cherries, having already spent eight years at the club.

The squad is becoming increasingly younger with the summer arrivals of Daniel Jebbison, Julian Araujo and Dean Huijsen.

Only four players in the current group are older than 27-year-old Cook, in Neto, Adam Smith, Ryan Christie and Philip Billing.

But Cook insists that is not a factor on the training ground.

He told the Daily Echo: “I still feel like I’m young, honestly.

“I think when you’re in football and it consumes you every day, sometimes it is quite hard to fully grow up!

“Everyone in there just has the same hunger to play football, compete and try and win football games.

“So I will just play for as long as I can, to be honest.”

Asked if, given his longevity at the club, he feels added responsibility to ensure new signings understand what is required at Cherries, Cook added: “A little bit.

“I feel like ever since I’ve come here Bournemouth have always signed good players, but also good people.

“So there’s not too much to worry about, to be fair.

“We’ve got a good group of lads that are very hungry, want to work hard and try to keep improving as a club and keep progressing forward.

“It’s a great group of lads and I think they manage themselves, to be honest.”

Reflecting on his contract extension, the midfielder said: “Coming here into the Premier League was obviously a massive draw to me.

“Since coming here and being here for a long time, I’ve realised what an amazing place it is to live, bring up your kids and to play football here is really good as well.

“I’m delighted to get the contract and another four years to try and help the team.”

He added: “I think consistency is probably the hardest thing in football.

“I think in stages last year we, as a team, had it and I felt like personally I did as well.

“Hopefully I can continue improving and just maintaining good performance, because it is tough in this league.”

Cherries begin their Premier League campaign away at Nottingham Forest tomorrow, having achieved a club-record top-flight points tally of 48 last term.

Asked what the goals are for the season ahead, Cook said: “I think if we can try and get a good start to the season.

“For the aim, I think just keep improving the performances on the pitch.

“I think if you just have an aim to maybe beat the points tally again, that’s probably a good way to look at it, because a few more wins and you don’t know where you would’ve been in the table.

“I think we’ll just try and make sure we have a good start and kick on.

“In football there are some weeks where you’ll be winning lots of games and there will be some where you might have a tough little run.

“That’s the Premier League for you, but you’ve just got to make sure that when the game is there to be won, we’ve got to kill it off and get the three points, be a bit more ruthless.”