There will be no Eric Bailly at the heart of Manchester United's defence for at least the next four months after the centre-back underwent knee surgery on Tuesday.
Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer updated Bailly's status, and also provided a possible return date following the Red Devils' 1-0 pre-season friendly win over Kristiansund BK in Oslo, Norway:
Rob DawsonSolskjaer asked about Eric Bailly. Says he had a knee operation this morning and will miss the next "four or five months".
David McDonnellSolskjaer reveals Eric Bailly has had an operation and is out for "four to five months" but Man Utd "should have him back for Christmas" #MUFC @MirrorFootball
Bailly suffered his latest setback during United's 2-1 win over Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur in the 2019 International Champions Cup on Thursday.