The topic of Eric Bailly’s future continues to be a talking point.
The Manchester United defender joined up with the Ivory Coast this week after missing his last two club games against AC Milan and Leicester.
Bailly’s contract expires in 2022 and SkySports previously reported he is reluctant to sign, amid concerns about his role in the team.
A new report from ESPN sheds more light on Bailly’s thought process.
ESPN claim Bailly is worried about United’s widely reported desire to sign a new centre-back.
It is noted that he is happy at Old Trafford, and negotiations over a new deal have begun, but he is concerned about his playing time.
Understandable concern
Bailly’s fears are totally understandable. This season and last, it has been clear he is third choice behind Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof.
Rightly or wrongly, Solskjaer has made his thinking clear. Even when he was picking up form and momentum in January, Solskjaer reverted to Lindelof when it really mattered, in the game away at Liverpool.
Lindelof has also really picked up form since that vote of confidence, helping United to a succession of clean sheets.
Bailly is worried, rightly, that if a new defender is signed, he will fall to fourth choice in the pecking order.
When you look at the lack of game time for current fourth choice defender Axel Tuanzebe, Bailly is right to be worried.
Tuanzebe has just 135 minutes of Premier League action to his name this season, and his future will also come into question if United sign a new defender.
Bailly’s biggest flaw is his fitness and injury record. When you play irregularly, once every six or seven games, you can become more susceptible to picking up problems as you lack sharpness.
You can see why SkySports‘ report about Bailly being worried United will sell him on, makes sense. United may prefer to cash in on Bailly, a bigger asset, than academy star Tuanzebe.
United have a delicate balancing act in defence this summer. It’s impossible to keep everybody happy. Bailly’s contract negotiations come at an awkward time.
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