Erik ten Hag has confirmed that Donny van de Beek will miss the remainder of the season as a result of the injury he sustained against Bournemouth.
Van de Beek was a surprise starter in Manchester United's 3-0 win against the Cherries earlier this month and caught the eye before he was hurt by Marco Senesi, who appeared to slip before a tackle.
The Dutch midfielder, who left the field in tears before half-time following the incident, was expected to miss a sustained period of action. United have not revealed the nature of the injury suffered by Van de Beek, 25, who joined from Ajax for £45million in 2020, but Ten Hag said he will not be back until pre-season.
"Yes, it's his knee," Ten Hag said on Friday ahead of the Manchester derby. "On the long term, it is looking really good - he will be back for the start of pre-season. But for the rest of the season, he is out.
"I think everyone was really [sad], our thoughts are with him. It's terrible when you are in a season and you get a bad tackle, a bad injury. It's always really disappointing and our thoughts and feelings are with the player.
"You express that, our group did that really well, and we are now happy that his knee, in the long-term, is good.
"In the same moments, there are mixed feelings and disappointment that he is out of this season.
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"The players are feeling we are building something good and we want to be a part of it - everyone wants to be part of it. With that injury, he is out, so there are two sides to that."
Ten Hag was reluctant to issue an update on Van de Beek prior to United's comprehensive win over Charlton in the Carabao Cup in midweek. The Dutchman had hinted, however, that United were fearful that Van de Beek's issue was a bad one.
Van de Beek has endured a rotten run of luck since moving to Old Trafford from Ajax and his latest setback comes just weeks after he had appeared to muscle his way back into United's plans.
It had been hoped that Van de Beek would be able to kick on this season under Ten Hag, who worked alongside him at Ajax. However, the midfielder had clocked up 10 appearances this season prior to his injury setback.
Diogo Dalot is also set to be unavailable for the Manchester derby while Ten Hag confirmed that new signing Wout Weghorst will not feature against the champions.
