CHERRIES manager Eddie Howe could be forced to delve into the transfer market earlier than anticipated should injury to Simon Francis prove serious.

Skipper Francis felt his hamstring during the second half of Cherries’ 1-0 defeat at West Brom on Saturday and was replaced by Adam Smith 10 minutes from time.

The versatile 32-year-old, who started at right-back against the Baggies, is expected to have a scan early this week to ascertain the full extent of the damage.

And should it reveal Francis would face a spell on the sidelines, Howe may look to further bolster his defensive resources before the window closes at the end of the month.

Together with Francis, Steve Cook, Nathan Ake, Tyrone Mings and Baily Cargill are Cherries' five recognised central defenders, while youngster Jack Simpson also trains with the first-team squad.

Asked whether he expected any movement in the market, Howe replied: “I don’t know because we will need to sit down and analyse Simon Francis’s injury and see how bad it is before making any statements on that.”

Ahmed Hegazi’s first-half goal for West Brom condemned Cherries to a third successive opening-game defeat since they joined the Premier League in 2015.

The Egyptian defender, who is on a season-long loan at the Hawthorns from Egyptian champions Al Ahly, ploughed through a posse of players to meet a Chris Brunt free kick at the far post in the 38th minute.

And although Cherries had long spells of possession, particularly during the second half, they failed to seriously threaten Baggies goalkeeper Ben Foster.

Howe said: “We dominated possession. When you come here, there is a predictability about what type of game you will face.

“But even though there is that predictability, you still have to find a way to win and we didn’t do well in possession. We were too slow and too predictable and West Brom were very effective at what they did.

“We didn’t do enough to get behind their line, whether it was with a run in behind or with the ball. They are a tough side to break down and offer you very little.

“When you go behind against them, it is even more difficult. They killed the game in the second half and we found it very difficult to build momentum due to the speed of the game.

“There is a lot for us to work on and look at and, hopefully, we can come back better.”

Asked whether Cherries’ lacklustre showing had surprised him on the back of an encouraging pre-season, Howe replied: “I didn’t expect us to be so lacking in creativity.

“I have to say that was a surprise because you can usually bank on us to create even when we don’t play particularly well.

“With the amount of possession we had and amount of ball we had in their half, not opening them up was the big disappointment.”