Eric Bailly in training.

First-team pair to feature for Under-23s live on MUTV

Friday 10 January 2020 09:55

Eric Bailly and Tim Fosu-Mensah will feature for Manchester United Under-23s tonight (Friday) as they continue their respective comebacks from injury.

The game against Newcastle United at Leigh Sports Village, which kicks off at 19:00 GMT and is being shown live on MUTV, will be the first match action the pair have experienced this season after undergoing knee operations in the summer.

“Eric and Tim are going to play in the Reserves tonight,” revealed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in an exclusive interview, prior to his Friday press conference.

“It's positive for them and they've been waiting for a long time, training for a while now, and it'll be good to see them in a proper kit.”

Exclusive: Fosu-Mensah excited to return

 Article

In our interview, Dutch defender Tim says he cannot wait to play under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer for the first time.

Bailly picked up a knee problem during the Tour 2019 friendly win over Tottenham Hotspur in Shanghai, after missing the end of the 2018/19 season with a similar issue.

Meanwhile, Fosu-Mensah hasn’t played for United since May 2017.

The Dutch international spent two seasons out on loan, first at Crystal Palace and Fulham, with the latter being cut short due to injury.

Ole reiterated the importance of giving the pair game time ahead of a potential first-team return, especially as Axel Tuanzebe and Marcos Rojo have also been unavailable in the centre of defence.

“They need game-time and they need that for their own confidence,” added Ole.

“It’s a mental hurdle to go from being injured to training, but it is an even bigger leap when you get into a competitive game, when you have to put everything into every tackle.

“It will be interesting to see and I am sure they will be ready, because they have been working very hard in training, they are very focused, so they are two new players for us."

You can see Eric and Tim in action tonight, as Neil Wood’s Under-23s take on Newcastle, by subscribing to MUTV.

Reading this in our app? If not, you might miss some exclusive features not found on ManUtd.com. Download the Official App here.

Recommended: