Bailly started the match at right-back in the absence of the suspended Antonio Valencia and although he seemed to have a problem early in the first period, the Ivory Coast international bravely decided to play on and he impressed along the flank.
However, after reappearing for the second half, the summer signing soon went to ground again and was subsequently replaced by Matteo Darmian on 52 minutes. It was obviously a blow for Bailly, especially as he had only just returned to the side after suffering a knee injury earlier in the season.
Mourinho gave an update while speaking to BT Sport and praised the player's willingness to stay on the pitch. Asked how serious the injury is, the manager said: “We don’t know [yet]. It is not the same knee, it is the other one. It is the left knee. So he is not coming back to a previous injury. Of course he has a problem with another dimension but he showed amazing character to try and try, and try until his limit.”
Later, in an interview with MUTV, the manager was also asked about the injury. “The only thing I can say is that it is not the same knee," he said. "He had an injury in the right knee and he recovered fantastically well. Now it is the left knee. I don’t know really what he has, but let us see and wait. He could resist for so long. I would say for about 75 minutes he could resist. He is a special guy and his pain level is really high."
While Bailly was visibly frustrated by his premature exit at Selhurst Park, the former Villarreal defender showed his class by taking a moment to hand his shirt to a lucky young United supporter in the away end.
No comments:
Post a Comment