Erik ten Hag awaits to discover the severity of the injury that forced Donny van de Beek to be kicked out in the first half of Tuesday’s 3-0 win over Bournemouth at Old Trafford.
Van de Beek’s first domestic league start since May 2021 – and United’s first home league win in his career – lasted just 45 minutes as he struggled in first half stoppage time after being caught by Marcos Year.
It seemed like a heavy impact and Van de Beek was in obvious pain as he limped down the tunnel, giving Ten Hag an injury concern ahead of the FA Cup draw with Everton on Friday and the Carabao Cup quarterfinals with Charlton next week.
“Hard to say,” Ten Hag said of Van de Beek’s appearance. “We need to wait at least 24 hours. But it doesn’t look good.”
Anthony Martial was also knocked out with a hit in the 69th minute, but Ten Hag noted that the Frenchman’s problem was less of a concern.
“See, he has the kick and then he continues the game, then (later) he lands,” he said.
Marcus Rashford scored in the fourth straight game after goals from Casemiro and Luke Shaw took control of United on another encouraging night at Old Trafford.
Ten Hag’s side are currently on par with third-placed Newcastle and just one point behind rivals City, who head to Chelsea on Thursday as the Old Trafford derby approaches on January 14.
The United boss said he was happy with his team’s form, but cautioned against any complacency.
“I think he’s really strong, but he’ll only stay strong if we do our job, if we give our 100 percent in every situation. In the second half I got the feeling for some that the game is over and the game never ends.
“We’ve seen the opponent’s reaction, they still believe it and if they go 2-1 they’re back in the game.”
Despite the leaderboard, Bournemouth boss Gary O’Neil was emboldened by his side’s response to harsh criticism of their performance in Saturday’s 2-0 loss to Crystal Palace.
“The kids were perfect,” he said. “In practice I was actually trying to pull them back a little bit. Density was really good. I never had to question the answer, I knew I was going to get one.
“Our only disappointment is that we didn’t score when we came to these situations.”
With the January transfer window open, O’Neil said he expects Bournemouth to strengthen after a summer that has been a major source of disappointment for former manager Scott Parker and played a role in his departure.
But regardless, O’Neil said he has confidence in his current roster.
“I’m sure there will be reinforcements,” he said. “As you know, we are a newly promoted team that does not add any load in the summer and today the side looks like last season.
“But they’re an amazing group and they give me everything and they have quality. I’m not complaining about the group I’m holding, but we’re in January and like the other 19 teams in the league we will look to get stronger.”