Friday 15 December 2017 18:16, UK
Manchester United defender Eric Bailly will have ankle surgery and faces up to three months on the sidelines.
United boss Jose Mourinho said in midweek that the centre-back may need to go under the knife to correct the problem, and he confirmed on Friday that his fear had been realised.
"He goes to surgery, the decision is made," Mourinho said. "I don't say [he's out] for the rest of the season but it's for the next two or three months."
Ivory Coast international Bailly has missed eight consecutive matches, featured most recently in the 1-0 Premier League defeat at Chelsea on November 5.
The 23-year-old sustained the problem on international duty but Mourinho said earlier this week that he is satisfied with his centre-back options in Bailly's stead.
He said: "I played [Chris] Smalling and [Phil] Jones and we had [Victor] Lindelof and [Daley] Blind on the bench. Marcos Rojo was injured [against Manchester City] but nothing really big.
"During the whole season, we've had problems with central defenders but, because the number is four or five, we manage always to have [players available].
"Chris Smalling is playing amazingly well for seven or eight matches in a row maybe, so we are fine."
