Eric Bailly has blasted Manchester United for always favoring and prioritizing English players over others. Bailly was a top signing under former Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho but has since fallen out of the pecking order as the managerial post at Old Trafford keeps changing hands.
Manchester United defender and Olympique Marseille loanee has vented his spleen on what he deemed as brazen-face favoritism at Manchester United. The 28-year-old Ivorien urged the Premier League giants to give everybody a chance, and not place priorities on only English players.
In a quote carried by The Times, Bailly said; “The club should avoid favoring English players and give everyone a chance.”
Bailly made known that the Manchester United dressing room is filled with promising English players and was not encouraging competition among the players.
“[The club should] encourage competition in the dressing room, not just look out for some. I’ve always had the feeling that the national player was prioritized”, he said.
Eric Bailly revealed how the selective process wore down the team as some players take it for granted they will be selected. However, he lauds new manager Erik Ten Hag for his character and hopes he changes that.
“Luckily, Erik has a lot of character, and hopefully, he will change the trend”, the Ivorian added.
Eric Bailly has joined Olympique Marseille on loan after he struggled to make it into Manchester United’s first team.
Who Is Eric Bailly?
Eric Bertrand Bailly, born on 12 April 2022, is an Ivorien international and Manchester United player who plays for French Ligue 1 side Olympique Marseille on loan.
Bailly started his football career in 2011, playing for the Espanyol youth team in Spain. He played for two years for the club before transitioning to the senior team, starting with Espanyol team B in 2013. He played for only one year for Espanyol team B for his full-fledged professional career in football. He made 21 appearances for the team before he joined the main Espanyol team in 2014. Baily played for only one year for Espanyol’s senior team, making only 5 appearances from 2014 to 2015.
He moved to Villarreal in 2015, where he has also played for one year, making 35 appearances. Bailly joined Manchester United in 2016 as the first player signed by the then manager Jose Mourinho. Manchester United signed the Ivory Coast international for a reported fee of £30m on a four-year contract with an option of additional two years.
Bailly made his Manchester United debut in a 2-1 win over Leicester City in the Community Shield on 7 August 2016. He was also voted as man of the match after the encounter.
Bailly had made 70 appearances for Manchester United since joining the club in 2016 and has scored just a goal for the team. He is currently on a season-loan with Olympique Marseille. He joined the French side on 24 August 2022.
National Team Stats
Bailly has made 4 appearances for the Ivory Coast Olympic team in 2021, scoring one goal. Since 2015, he has made 46 appearances for the Ivory Coast senior national team, scoring two goals.
Awards And Honours
In his first year at Manchester United, Balley has won the EFL Cup and Community Shield with Manchester United, including the Europa League. Bailly won the Africa Cup of Nations Trophy with Ivory Coast in 2015. He was voted into CAF Team Of The Year in 2016, 2017, and 2018. He also made the Europa League season’s squad in the 2016/17 football season.
Spotlights on Eric Bailly at Manchester United
