Manchester United defender Eric Bailly has missed the last four games and fans are beginning to worry about the Ivorian’s future at the club.
Bailly, too, is said to be concerned because he feels as if he has been frozen out of the squad. That’s according to Mirror journalist John Cross, who broke the news midweek. To say that adds up would be an understatement but Mourinho explained Bailly’s absence of late during Friday’s press conference.
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“There is no situation,” the boss stated, as per Manchester Evening News.
“He [Bailly] is fine, no injury, he’s one of our five central defenders and honestly my work is not about World Cups and preparing players for the World Cup or giving chances to players at the World Cup but he’s the only central defender whose country is not in the World Cup so if I have to make a kind of more emotional effective choice to help my players he’s the one I’m not going to help.
“Rojo, Lindelof, Jones, Smalling, all of them are wishing to make the squad for the World Cup and Eric is not under that pressure.
“I try not to (make those sentimental decisions), I try to be a good team manager and that means a bit cold, a bit selfish but I’m not as bad as that and I still have space for a little bit of feelings so when I look to the other four central defenders fighting for a position in the World Cup I am giving less to Eric.”
Bizarre, really. Since when does Mourinho care about how international teams do at World Cups or other tournaments?
There’s definitely more to it and people close to Bailly aren’t denying that. This is United’s best defender we’re talking about, one that has struggled with fitness all season so that gives even more reason to get game time under his belt before the FA Cup Final.
