Eric Bailly Leaves FA Cup Semi Final on Stretcher After Collision With Harry Maguire

Manchester United defender Eric Bailly collided with Harry Maguire in the FA Cup semi-final with Chelsea on Sunday evening and required a stretcher to leave the field.

The Ivorian started in a back three alongside Maguire and Victor Lindelof, but shortly before the 45-minute mark he went down after colliding with Maguire, as the captain entered a 50/50 with Olivier Giroud.

Bailly was initially able to play on, and even after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer decided not to take any chances and replaced him with Anthony Martial, he initially refused a stretcher, walking off the pitch with the assistance of the club's medical staff.

He was clearly unsteady on his feet, however, and appeared to collapse at the side of the pitch. He was so close to the field of play that Mike Dean refused to resume action as he was treated, resulting in more than 11 minutes of stoppage time being played.

The nature of the injury is unclear. The initial concern appeared to be with an open gash on his head, but his neck had to be secured with a brace - though that is normal practice when there is even the slightest suspicion of a neck or spinal injury.

There may also be concerns of concussion, given how unstable he appeared as he left the pitch.

The semi final was poised at 0-0 at the time of the incident, with Olivier Giroud going on to score deep into first-half stoppage time, to ensure Chelsea took a lead into the break.

It's desperately unlucky for Bailly, who was making just his ninth appearance of the season after sitting out until February with a severe knee injury. The silver lining is that this issue is almost certainly unrelated, but that will come as stark consolation for a player looking to find his feet again.

There has been no word from United on the nature of the new injury.

Source : 90min