Manchester United have been dealt a major defensive blow with news that Eric Bailly is out for two months with a lateral knee ligament injury.
The Red Devils summer signing suffered the injury early on in the second half at Chelsea as United were thumped 4-0 on Sunday.
The injury is a double blow to United boss Jose Mourinho who was resigned to losing the Ivory Coast defender in January due to the Africa Cup of Nations.
‘I wanted to thank you for all the messages of support that I received since the injury!’ he wrote on Instagram on Tuesday.
‘I hope to be able to play again for United and The Elephants before 2 months, God willing. Thanks for always being there!’
Bailly could miss up to 12 matches for United starting with Wednesday’s EFL Cup tie against bitter rivals Manchester City as well as Premier League clashes against Arsenal and Tottenham respectively in November and December.
By Luke Augustus