According to the Daily Mail, Paris Saint-Germain have joined Arsenal and Tottenham in the race to sign Manchester United centre-back Eric Bailly.
Bailly’s time in the team has been cut dramatically again this season with Jose Mourinho opting for Victor Lindelof and Chris Smalling most weeks in the heart of defence, and the report suggests he is becoming increasingly frustrating over his dip in form and lack of game time at Old Trafford.
To leave Bailly out of the team was initially mind-boggling. He’s still the best defender at the club but has flaws to his game, though none of our defenders are exempt from that.
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But for Mourinho it’s not about finding individual brilliance in this area. The manager must find the right combination and thus far, even though Lindelof has performed well the past month, Smalling is nowhere near the standard United should be aiming for in defence.
However, the Daily Mail also claim Mourinho has not given up the Ivory Coast international. He is allegedly still hopeful that he can improve and turn his Old Trafford career around.
The Reds are currently eight in the Premier League – 12 points of last season’s champions Manchester City – and it is unlikely that the Reds will be able to mount a title challenge of any sort. The battle now is to secure a place in the top four, much to our dismay.
Bailly impressed during his first season at the club, winning the Europa League (missed final due to injury) and League Cup, after signing from Villarreal in 2016. He hasn’t quite kicked on as expected yet many United fans will want him to remain at the club rather than Smalling, Phil Jones or even Marcos Rojo.
Still, it goes without saying that if the club gets the right offer for Bailly, we’d prefer it was to a foreign outfit rather than a domestic rival…
