Eric Bailly made a point last week of lamenting a lack of opportunities at Manchester United, telling The Times he felt English players were favoured.
The biggest knock against Bailly however, was his continuous injury bad luck, which has prevented any of Manchester United’s managers from trusting him fully.
His loan move to Marseille has provided him an opportunity to prove his case. Unfortunately it has not got off to the best of starts.
Bailly has been selected as a starter in Ligue 1 in just one out of four matches so far. And last night in the Champions League, a familiar story struck.
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Eric Bailly goes off injured for Marseille
Eric Bailly was making his third overall start for Marseille last night, his second in the Champions League to add to his one in Ligue 1.
And all too familiarly, Bailly suffered an injury and had to leave the match early.
Bailly was substituted in the 65th minute in a 1-0 home defeat against Eintracht Frankfurt.
He had been involved in the goal Marseille conceded late in the first half, when he left his defensive position to compete for a loose ball, lost it, and then failed to track back to prevent a well taken strike.
In the second half he was injured after making a tackle and was replaced with 25 minutes to go, with Marseille going on to record a second consecutive defeat.
Bailly’s performance wasn’t all bad. He competed, making six interceptions, blocking two shots, and winning five duels, but this was not a successful night.
His role in the goal conceded was one disappointment, but the real crushing blow came with his injury.
The Ivorian is a player with a point to prove, with a reputation of an injury-prone player to shed, and this was the last thing he wanted to happen.
United would like to sell Bailly permanently at this stage, after the bizarre decision to hand him a contract extension in 2021. For this to happen, he needs to stay fit.
The extent of his injury is unclear, but this is clearly not the best start for the 28-year-old centre-back, especially after his comments last week.
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