Bournemouth boss Gary O'Neil explained the absence of Joe Rothwell and Philip Billing for defeat to Manchester United.

The pair had started the previous seven games.

O'Neil told the Daily Echo: “Phil was a very late dropout.

“Phil was sort of last night, this morning.

“Joe Rothwell has been managing sort of an issue for a while, he's been playing with.

“One of the benefits of us getting 39 points so early has meant that some of the boys, like Antoine (Semenyo), Joe, start to get some work done and have some extra time to make sure that they're ready for 1 July.

“Obviously it's a short summer, so It's important that we get them enough time to be up to speed next season."