Man Utd injury news: Blow for Solskjaer as he confirms at least four-month layoff for star

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Man Utd boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has confirmed that Eric Bailly faces between four and five months out of action after undergoing surgery on a knee injury.

The 25-year-old sustained the setback during a pre-season friendly with Tottenham last week, and was seen returning to Manchester airport the next day wearing a leg brace.

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In turn, the early indications weren’t good as a serious injury was feared, and as seen in the tweet below from the club, it has now been confirmed that their initial concerns were warranted.

After undergoing an operation, it’s suggested that he’ll now sit out the next four to five months, which will be a blow for the Red Devils given their poor defensive record last season.

United conceded 54 goals in 38 Premier League games last year, giving them the worst defensive record of the top nine sides in the standings as it was a glaring weakness for both Jose Mourinho and Solskjaer.

In order to bridge the gap to the top four and compete for trophies in the upcoming season, the Norwegian tactician will have to find a fix, whether that’s through the options currently at his disposal or with a new signing before the transfer deadline next week.

Particularly now with Bailly sidelined for a lengthy period, Man Utd will surely look to step up that search, although as noted by BBC Sport, it doesn’t sound as though they are any closer to reaching an agreement for Leicester City centre-half Harry Maguire.

Time will tell whether or not the towering Foxes defender joins to shore things up at the back, or if United consider alternatives in the coming days to now fill the void left behind by Bailly.

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