Eric Bailly: 'Man United should stop favouring English players. Some people take it for granted'

In an explosive new interview for The Times, Eric Bailly has opened up on the dressing room dynamic at Manchester United before Erik ten Hag's arrival.

The centre-back, who is loan at Marseille, said: "The club [United] should avoid favouring English players and give everyone a chance.

"[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 prioritised.

"That doesn’t happen at Chelsea or other big Premier League clubs.

"Some people take it for granted that they are going to start, and that weakens the team. Luckily [Erik] Ten Hag has a lot of character and I hope he can change that dynamic."

Reflecting on his decision to leave temporarily, Bailly added: "I met Erik Ten Hag in the dressing room at the end of last season when he went to sign his contract.

"I was packing my things because my intention was to leave, but he told me he wanted me to stay because he was going to give minutes to everyone.

"I agreed to do the summer tour with United, and he kept his word, but I don’t want to play every now and then. I want to do it every week and feel important. I want to get my confidence back."

Bailly fell drastically behind the pecking order as Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof were the go-to centre-back pairing under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Ralf Rangnick tried to shake things up but Bailly could appear in just 12 Premier League games in 2021/22. And now, under Ten Hag, Maguire has been benched in our last four games - all of which ended in victories for us.

Source: The Times