Eric Bailly: Manchester United defender ‘unlikely’ to face West Ham after head injury

Bailly spent night in hospital after suffering head injuries against Chelsea

Eric Bailly is not expected to be available for Manchester United’s meeting with West Ham despite reporting to Carrington on Tuesday morning.

Bailly was taken to hospital during Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final defeat to Chelsea at Wembley after suffering two head injuries in quick succession at the end of the first half.

The Cote d’Ivoire international stayed overnight and was discharged on Monday, though Solskjaer does not believe he will be ready to return to play.

“Eric stayed down in London for all the checks, so he’s done all the checks,” Solskjaer said. “I didn’t see him yesterday and he’s followed the protocols that are needed.

“I don’t think he’ll be ready for this game. I’ve not seen him this morning yet, this is before we meet the players. I think everyone is available apart from that, no other injuries from last week.”

Though unconfirmed whether Bailly suffered a concussion, Premier League ‘return to play’ protocols outline that no player can return to competitive football for at least six days.

Bailly was pictured at United’s Carrington training ground on Wednesday morning in a video shared by team-mate Paul Pogba on social media.

United face a decisive week in their season, with a place in next season’s Champions League on the line in their final Premier League games against West Ham and Leicester.

“We’ve just got to stick together, stay strong, as I’ve said. We’ve got two games to go and we’ve given ourselves a very good chance,” Solskjaer said.