Injured Eric Bailly ruled out of African Cup of Nations

​Eric Bailly made his first Premier League appearance for Man United since February in the 1-1 draw with Chelsea but faces a long spell out.

Published : Apr 29, 2019 20:25 IST

Eric Bailly goes off injured during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Chelsea at Old Trafford.

Manchester United defender Eric Bailly has been ruled out of Ivory Coast's Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) campaign due to medial knee ligament damage, the Premier League club has confirmed.

On Sunday against Chelsea, Bailly featured in his first game for United since March 6 - a first leg defeat to Paris-Saint Germain.

The Ivorian limped off in the second half after Ander Herrera's tackle on Mateo Kovacic sent the Chelsea midfielder crashing into Bailly. He was replaced by Marcos Rojo.

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United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer revealed after the match that the 25-year-old would not feature again for his club this season and the damage is severe enough to mean Bailly cannot take part in Ivory Coast's matches in Egypt when the 2019 continental tournament begins in June.

Ibrahim Kamara's side has been drawn alongside Morocco, South Africa and Namibia in Group D.