Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe is determined not to let poor form and injuries derail his side's season.

The Cherries were riding high in sixth place in the Premier League table at the start of November, but have lost seven of their last nine league matches.

Their slide down to 12th has coincided with a succession of serious knee injuries to key players, with captain Simon Francis the latest to be ruled out long term.

"We've had a great start and a slightly difficult end to the first half of the season that we've just gone through," Howe told a press conference before Sunday's game at Manchester United.

"Obviously injuries have been an issue for us in recent weeks, but we sit in a very good position in the league, if we can build on what we've done so far."

Bournemouth, who finished last season in 12th place, 11 points clear of the bottom three, had their first big injury setback in November when defender Adam Smith was ruled out for three months following knee cartilage surgery.

Midfielder Lewis Cook's season was cut short earlier this month when he ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee and Francis sustained an identical injury in the Boxing Day defeat at Tottenham.

Dan Gosling has also missed the last seven games due to a knee problem.

Howe has conceded the loss of skipper Francis is a major blow to the club, but quickly shifted his focus on to this weekend's daunting trip to Old Trafford.

"We'd love a couple of back-to-back wins to really elevate our position, but it's a tough game," Howe said.

"Whenever you go to Old Trafford you know you're going to be in for a tough assignment and we're going to need to rise to that challenge."

United appear to be on the rise following the departure of Jose Mourinho, winning both games under interim manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer 5-1 and 3-1 against Cardiff and Huddersfield respectively.

The Cherries were undone by a solitary Romelu Lukaku goal at Old Trafford last season, while their two previous visits since winning promotion to the top flight in 2015 ended 1-1 and in a 3-1 defeat.

"We look forward to going there, we always have done," Howe added.

"We've had some tough encounters and enjoyed our matches at the ground. We look forward to another tough game."

Howe has no other new injury problems as his side bid to bounce back after conceding five goals without reply at Wembley on Boxing Day.