Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho’s defensive options have been boosted by the return of Eric Bailly ahead of their busy fixtures schedule in December.

The 22-year-old suffered a serious knee injury against Chelsea and was forced to watch eight of his side’s matches from the sidelines.

The return of the Ivorian centre back now gives Mourinho one more selection option for their upcoming fixtures.

‘We need that,’ Mourinho told the Manchester United website.

‘It’s impossible for the same players to play every match and in this moment we are having that because of a lack of available options.

‘So, to have Eric back is good news, even though it is only for a few weeks because we know he goes to the Africa Cup of Nations very soon [in January], but at least in this busy period of Christmas, we have one more option. That’s important.’

Manchester United will next take on Zorya Luhansk in the final Europa League Group A match on Thursday.

The match at Stadion Chornomorets kicks off at 20:00.