03 January 2023 , 23:04
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Erik ten Hag has admitted that the injury Donny van de Beek sustained in Manchester United's 3-0 win over Bournemouth 'doesn't look very good'.
Van de Beek was a surprise inclusion in a United team that maintained their fine recent form by breezing past the Cherries, who were condemned to a third consecutive Premier League defeat.
The 25-year-old, who has become a peripheral figure at United over the past 12 months, impressed in the first-half of the match before he was left in a heap following a collision with Marco Senesi.
After a lengthy spell of treatment, Van de Beek was forced off the pitch in tears - and Ten Hag has conceded that United are already fearing the worst over the Dutchman's prognosis.
"We need to wait 24 hours, but it is not looking very good," Ten Hag said when he was quizzed on the former Ajax midfielder by Sky Sports.
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Van de Beek's injury soured a night where United closed the gap on the Premier League's top three. Ten Hag's side are now level on points with third-placed Newcastle having played a game less and are also just one point behind Manchester City.
United's current standing is a far cry from where they were during the early weeks of Ten Hag's tenure, when back-to-back defeats left them floundering at the foot of the Premier League after the opening two games of the season.
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Van de Beek left the pitch in tears following a lengthy spell of treatment (Dave Thompson/AP/REX/Shutterstock)And while Ten Hag admitted that he was happy with the final result, he stressed that there were plenty of elements of United's performance that he was far from satisfied with.
"I'm happy with the result," he added. "Today it was not our best game. We have to be honest, we didn't play that smart as a team. We made great goals, but at times we were quite lucky, and some great saves from David [de Gea]. We could have been smarter as a team.
"There were big spaces at 2-0 up, sometimes we have to keep the ball and recognise when to go for goal. That is the next step. It is always good to win 3-0. It was a great performance for the crowd, with scoring opportunities for both goals. To win 3-0 is always good.
"We have to go from game-to-game. The next game is a cup one, but we want to win every game. That has to be the approach. We don't want to look any further, focus on that, it will be a tough game. We need every energy in the preparation and when we kick off on Friday night."