Man Utd boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer could reportedly be in line to receive a major injury boost after the latest update on Eric Bailly.
The 25-year-old suffered a knee injury during pre-season which initially ruled out him until December given the extent of the setback.
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Although the Red Devils brought in Harry Maguire this past summer, having Bailly available would undoubtedly be a major boost for competition for places and in terms of rotating and trying to compete on multiple fronts this season.
In turn, Solskjaer will be delighted as The Sun report that the Ivorian international is making progress in his recovery and is pushing to resume training with a view of returning a month earlier than planned to get back on the pitch in November.
Naturally, the priority will be to avoid any setbacks and so Bailly certainly won’t be rushed back into action as the last thing that anyone concerned wants is an even lengthier spell on the sidelines.
Nevertheless, if the medical staff are happy with his progress and he continues to tick the right boxes to step up his rehabilitation work, then he could be set to hand Solskjaer a major boost prior to the hectic festive period.
It’s perhaps difficult to see Maguire being dropped unless his form dips significantly, but Bailly could certainly offer stiff competition for places for Victor Lindelof, with his pace and physicality possibly an ideal fit and complementary to Maguire’s defensive attributes in the heart of the backline.
For now though, the focus remains on Bailly making a full recovery and it sounds as though he will be pushing for a return sooner rather than later.
