Man Utd boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s stance on Eric Bailly explained ahead of Chelsea clash
Man Utd: Eric Bailly flies in with two feet in training
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Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is a huge fan of Eric Bailly, according to reports. The Ivory Coast international is attracting transfer interest from clubs in Italy and Spain ahead of Sunday’s Premier League clash with Chelsea. However, the Red Devils want him to stay put.
United signed Bailly from Villarreal back in the summer transfer window of 2016.
Jose Mourinho thought the Ivory Coast international would be the perfect player to lead his Old Trafford era from the back, especially given how the club had failed to replace Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic in the years previously.
However, for the most part, injuries have prevented the 26-year-old from kicking on.
He’s been restricted to just seven Premier League appearances this term and, throughout his time at the club, has been sidelined for a grand total of 230 days.
United go up against Chelsea on Sunday with clubs from Spain and Italy eyeing a deal for Bailly.
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Yet The Sun say Solskjaer is a huge fan of the defender and wants him to stay at Old Trafford, with the club now entering talks over a new contract.
His current deal expires in 2022, meaning he has just 16 months left to run.
But United are hoping to tie him down to a three-year contract, with the Red Devils impressed by his performances since returning to the field.
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He impressed in midweek as United kept a clean sheet against Real Sociedad in the second leg of their Europa League round of 32 fixture.
And Bailly could now be set to stay and play a key role for Solskjaer in the coming years ahead.
It’s possible he’ll start for the Red Devils against Chelsea on Sunday, with the visitors looking to boost their chances of a Premier League top four finish.
But it’s still likelier Victor Lindelof and Harry Maguire will get the nod instead, especially given how both players have regularly been selected together over the course of the campaign.
Meanwhile, Bailly recently opened up on Solskjaer and hailed the Norwegian for his man-management skills.
“I always play at my maximum and he’ll say to me, Eric, you’re an aggressive player, the forwards don’t like this aggression or this and that.
“He’s been a forward, so he knows.
“There are many important bits of advice he gives to a centre back, a lot to take on.
“We learn from him, how to influence the forward, where to be.
“He gives us a lot with advice about that, when to make interceptions, the centre-backs need to be close to the forwards, especially a true striker, little details he tells us.”
Bailly also recently defended Paul Pogba, insisting his United team-mate was ‘always happy’ behind the scenes at the club.
“Paul Pogba is someone – how to qualify this? – he’s always happy, he portrays one image and if you don’t know him, you’d say that this guy doesn’t care, he’s not concentrating or fixing on what he needs to do,” he said on Balague’s Pure Football Podcast.
“But he’s not like that at all. He’s very professional and works really hard.
“People look and say he doesn’t care but that’s just not true for me.
“You’ve got to know him to really see what type of person he is. Above everything, he is a really hard worker, a professional player.”
United and Chelsea played out a goalless draw when they met earlier in the season.
And fans will be hoping to avoid a repeat of that sort of contest on Sunday.
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