Midway through the second half against Burnley, Bailly went to the ground and was quickly replaced by substitute Raphael Varane.
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Defender Eric Bailly has downplayed a possible injury concern after he was substituted during Manchester United’s game against Burnley on Thursday night. The Ivory Coast international was recalled to the Starting XI for the Premier League match at Old Trafford, as Ralf Rangnick made six changes to the team. Bailly was part of the team that started due to Victor Lindelof’s unavailability. The centre-back was mostly solid except for the mistake he made during the only goal Burnley scored on the night. However, midway through the second half, Bailly went to the ground and was quickly replaced by substitute Raphael Varane. For a moment it appeared that he may have been injured, leaving both Manchester United and Ivory Coast fans worried.
However, the centre-back plays down the concerns – in a video for the supporters – ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations. “Thank you to all of the fans for the support tonight,” said Bailly. “It was a good victory. I am good, I am good, just tired. A good win to finish the year.”
Meanwhile, Rangnick – in the post-match press conference – revealed Bailly had already left United for the upcoming tournament in Cameroon. However, he returned when centre-back Victor Lindelof tested positive for COVID-19.
“Eric had already left, actually, three or four days ago for the Africa Cup of Nations, but he was still in Spain and we asked him to come back,” said the German to reporters. “I think he did well, apart from the mistake for the goal we conceded, so I think it was a very good performance from Eric. It was very concentrated and very focused.”
The 2022 Africa Cup of Nations tournament is set to start on 9th January. Bailly’s name has been included in the Ivory Coast squad. However, his United teammate Amad has not been included. Besides, another promising United youngster Hannibal was also named to the Tunisia squad
12 Jan – Equatorial Guinea v Ivory Coast
16 Jan – Ivory Coast v Sierra Leone
20 Jan – Ivory Coast v Algeria
12 Jan – Tunisia v Mali
16 Jan – Tunisia v Mauritania
20 Jan – Gambia v Tunisia
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