Eddie Howe: 'We must be prepared for Manchester United's attack'

Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe has revealed that his team have placed their focus on improving their defending ahead of their trip to Manchester United.

The Cherries have not kept a clean sheet in 2017 - a run spanning eight matches in all competitions - and they have conceded at least two goals in each of those fixtures.

Howe takes his team to Old Trafford on Saturday as they look to end a run of four successive defeats, and despite the threat offered by Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Howe has indicated that his team are not solely focusing on the in-form Swede.

The 39-year-old told reporters: "I was impressed with Ibrahimovic when we came up against him back in August. We have to be prepared.

"As a defender, my focus was on keeping a clean sheet. We have done a lot of work on defending in training.

"We're a better attacking team than defending at the moment so we need to close those margins. We're working hard."

Bournemouth currently sit four points clear of the relegation zone.