Manchester United's Eric Bailly to Miss 4-5 Months After Undergoing Knee Surgery

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:

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.

Injuries have been a persistent problem for Bailly ever since he arrived at Old Trafford from Villarreal in 2016. Knee issues, in particular, are nothing new for the Ivory Coast international, who suffered medial ligament damage during a game against Chelsea back in April.

Bailly's latest injury leaves United short of options at the back. Victor Lindelof and Chris Smalling are available to manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, as is Phil Jones, himself no stranger to the treatment table.

Being one short could accelerate the Red Devils' efforts to reinforce the position. It's a search that may take Solskjaer and Co. to Barcelona's Samuel Umtiti, with United prepared to pay £46 million for the Frenchman, according to Le10 Sport (h/t MailOnline's Pete Rutzler).

Umtiti himself is coming off a serious knee injury that kept him out of the Barca squad for five months.

Leicester City's Harry Maguire may represent a safer alternative, albeit a more expensive one. However, BBC Sport's Simon Stone has reported United have so far not been close to meeting the Foxes' valuation of £90 million for the England international.

No matter how the Reds choose to address Bailly's prolonged absence, Solskjaer will know he can't risk going into the new season with the same personnel. United shipped 54 goals in the Premier League during the last campaign, a vulnerability sure to keep the Red Devils frustrated in their bid to return to the UEFA Champions League.

As for Bailly, one more spell away from the pitch has to increase doubts about his ability to make the grade at Old Trafford. Still only 25, he is an enticing combination of pace, power and aggression, but a move to a less frenetic league, maybe even a return to La Liga, may serve to finally bring out the best in the brittle defender.