Manchester United are expected to be without defender Eric Bailly for at least six weeks following the knee injury sustained during the pre-season clash against Tottenham Hotspur earlier this week.
The Ivory Coast international did not feature for his national team at the African Cup of Nations with a knee concern and he has now sustained another injury setback ahead of the new Premier League campaign.
According to ESPN, the central defender underwent a scan on his return to Manchester this week and reports have revealed that he has suffered a meniscus damage on his knee.
The same publication claims that the Ivorian would require a minor operation to rectify the problem and that should keep him out of action for six to eight weeks.
Bailly has endured a frustrating spell with United over the past three years where he has been hampered with multiple injury concerns as well as inconsistent form on the playing field.
The latest setback is likely to bring frustration to the club’s faithful, considering he may not return to the regular action until October, given the club may not want to risk an early comeback
Prior to Bailly’s injury, United have already been in contact with Leicester City with regards to a deal for Maguire and their pursuit may speed up with the injury sustained by the 25-year-old.
So far, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side have made a £70m bid for the former Hull City man and they may have to up their offer to around £80m to hold any chance of convincing the Foxes into a sale.
Aside from Bailly, United have five central defensive options in Victor Lindelof, Chris Smalling, Marcos Rojo, Phil Jones and Axel Tuanzebe at their disposal ahead of the new campaign.
Lindelof has surely taken up one of the positions with his consistent showing over the past year but the other spot is still up for grabs. It remains to be seen whether Maguire will partner the Swede for the league opener.
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