With a mixture of injuries and lengthy suspensions, Eric Bailly, who was sent to Marseille on loan by Manchester United to get his career back on track, has only played in 16 of a possible 37 games this season.
The deal struck with the Red Devils includes a clause that makes the deal a permanent if the Ligue 1 side qualify for the Champions League (which they currently in a position to do) and the defender features in 50% of their games (which isn’t the case at the moment).
The Manchester United loanee’s last start came in 3-0 home defeat to Paris Saint-Germain, where he was bullied from start to finish (the 66th minute, when he was subbed off) by a vengeful Kylian Mbappé.
Since then, he has been on the bench for the 1-0 win over Rennes, and came on for the final nine minutes of the 2-2 draw against Strasbourg; a period during which the latter scored two goals.
Bailly wasn’t directly at fault for that, but it certainly won’t have given Igor Tudor assurances he needs to be played more often, especially since the player has struggled in a three at the back formation.
La Provence have an article on the Manchester United centre-back’s situation, and make it clear that while his current manager should perhaps play him more, there are also a few details to take into consideration.
Former manager Rolland Courbis, for example, said: “Taking into account his fragility, Tudor cannot count on him full-time. He current has the task of building something solid on the long-term with pieces that aren’t famed for being the most reliable on the market.”
Another ex-manager, Elie Baup, added: “We don’t know what goes on behind the scenes, but maybe it’s also a matter of bearings. The manager probably doesn’t consider Bailly as able to play in a three at the back defence. There needs to be synergies. It’s not an easy system to put in place.”
As for former goalkeeper Jérôme Alonzo, he questions the player’s fitness: “Tomorrow, if you lose Bailly, it’s not that important since you’re used to it with him.”
It therefore seems that unless Bailly starts playing more and convincing Igor Tudor he is both fit and capable of playing in his formation, Manchester United could end up having to welcome him back in the near future, giving Erik ten Hag and John Murtough a new headache in the summer.
