Manchester United team news: Bailly and Ibrahimovic return date revealed

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho is hopeful Eric Bailly and Zlatan Ibrahimovic will return to contention for first team action by the end of the month.

Bailly, 23, has not featured for United since the start of November and his presence at the back was particularly missed during Wednesday’s humiliating defeat away to Tottenham.

The Ivory Coast international is now training outside but is still not with the main group and remains at least three weeks out before fully recovering from a serious ankle injury.

Mourinho also wants Ibrahimovic to return to first-team action in time for the first leg of their Champions League knockout tie with Sevilla on February 21.

The 36-year-old has missed United’s last seven matches after suffering a set back in his recovery from a serious knee injury, while there are also suggestions he could leave before the end of the season to join MLS giants LA Galaxy.

“They [Bailly and Ibrahimovic] are working on the pitch but not yet with us as a group so they are not very close to a return,” Mourinho told United’s official website. “But I want to believe that by Champions League time, around the end of the month, they will be back.”

Under Mourinho, United have won a greater share of their Premier League matches with Bailly in the starting XI (59.4%) compared to when he has not been able to start (48.4%).