Eric Bailly answered an emergency call to delay his trip to join up with the Ivory Coast squad so he could feature for Manchester United’s team against Burnley.
United needed him to start with a preference not to start Raphael Varane twice in four days after his injury, and Victor Lindelof isolating with Covid. The other option would have been Phil Jones to partner Harry Maguire.
Bailly stepped in and it was typical bad luck that he sustained an injury which forced him off in the 68th minute with Varane coming on to close out the game.
Bailly is fine
It would have been cruel luck if Bailly sustained an injury ruling him out of the African Cup of Nations having originally been due to miss the Burnley game.
Fortunately it seems there is no threat of Bailly missing time, after he gave a positive fitness update after the game.
In a video posted on United’s Instagram feed, Bailly said he was fine and ‘just tired’, while on his own post, he made no reference to any injury and simply celebrated the win.
A win despite defensive shakiness
Even before his injury, Eric Bailly did not have the best of nights, giving the ball away in the move leading up to Burnley’s goal.
Bailly’s error was exacerbated by Harry Maguire standing off Aaron Lennon and effectively encouraging him to shoot and score.
This was a chance for Bailly to step up, starting just his second Premier League game of the season and his first since his own goal in the derby.
This time Bailly lasted a little longer, surviving being hooked at half-time, but did not see out the 90 minutes after his injury.
The Ivorian will now miss a month due to the AFCON and will likely return to a role as fourth choice and have to wait for his opportunity all over again.
- Radek Vitek is about to test Ineos in a big way, they’ve cracked half of the challenge at Man Utd
- Alex Scott vs Manu Kone: Why 185-duel midfielder is the right choice to finish Man United rebuild
- Alejandro Garnacho triggered Man Utd fans with his antics last summer, it could come full circle now
- Marcus Rashford and Kobbie Mainoo’s return date to Man United pre-season training confirmed
- Youri Tielemans has a trait that Kobbie Mainoo needs to learn from him in Man Utd training
- Benjamin Sesko injury update and return timeline, what happened to Man Utd striker and way forward
- Man Utd can no longer offer Marcus Rashford what he needs, and plans are in place far beyond him
- Man Utd have one of the top 25 fastest players at the World Cup – but sold the star at #2
Receive a digest of our best United content each week direct to your mailbox
