EDDIE Howe has refused to rule out a possible permanent switch back to Cherries after Portsmouth agreed to extend his loan spell for a third and final month.

The 26-year-old, who has been back training with the Premiership outfit this week, was given the go-ahead by Pompey boss Harry Redknapp to continue his spell at Dean Court on Thursday afternoon after Blues defender Dejan Stefanovic confirmed his return to fitness.

But Football League rules stipulate that the maximum loan stay for players who were over the age of 23 in June, is three months - or 93 days.

Therefore if Howe was to be available to Sean O'Driscoll beyond the trip to Peterborough on November 6, Cherries would somehow need to finance a permanent deal, a possibility the defender has not yet carefully considered.

Howe, who returned to the Canford School training ground yesterday to some good-humoured banter from his team-mates, told the Daily Echo: "I have not had a chance to think about what happens beyond this final month. There have been so many games that I have not really thought about the future.

"But I've learnt a lot over the past few years and one of those things is never to rule anything out.

"At the end of the month I just want to be 100 per cent fit and ready for whatever comes next.

"Whatever happens, will happen and I'll worry about that when it comes along. I'm just concentrating on doing my best and then everything else will take care of itself."

Howe, in the final year of his contract at Portsmouth, added: "As things stand, this is my final month. I am still a Portsmouth player and until I'm told differently I will be fully committed to them as my employers when I return.

"I have a lot of games coming up so it will be another tough month but I'm looking forward to it.

"I want to be playing first-team football. My game has improved with the more football I have played. Hopefully that will continue to be the case and I'd like to thank Harry for allowing me the chance to get first-team football at Bournemouth."

The ongoing financial restrictions at the club ensures Cherries would be unable to match the salary that Portsmouth currently pay the defender and if any potential transfer was to take place, both the Fratton Park club and Howe would need to forego a sizeable sum of money.

But a similar situation arose with the signing of Neil Moss in 2002 as Southampton reached an agreement on the remainder of the goalkeeper's contract to allow him to return to Dean Court on a free transfer.

Chairman Peter Phillips told the Daily Echo: "It would be very difficult to bring Eddie back permanently at the present time. Obviously, as a club we would love to do it - we would like Eddie as a core part of our squad on a permanent basis.

"In a normal situation, if we were a club with a little bit of money, we would try to find a way to keep him. But the amounts of money involved are beyond our reach unfortunately. At the moment, it looks like a tough one."

Asked if he thought Portsmouth, who split the payment of Howe's salary while he is on loan, may reach a settlement with the player over his contract, Phillips was understandably cautious.

He said: "It is difficult for me to say what might happen at another club. We are hugely grateful for them helping us out with his wages in any case.

"The bottom line is that he is their player and unless a particularly wealthy fan comes along, it will probably be his final month with us."