BAILLY ASKED TO STEP IN FOR MAGUIRE AT UNITED

Manchester United defender Eric Bailly has the rest of the season to prove himself and fight for his place in the first team, according to the club’s legend Paul Scholes. The Ivory Coast international defender has had his opportunities reduced and this has been due to the continued brilliance of the pairing of Victor Lindelöf and Harry Maguire at the heart of the Red Devils defense.

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Although Bailly recently signed a new contract extension at the club which will see him remain at Old Trafford for at least the next three years, it still does not look like he is capable of displacing either Lindelöf or Maguire as the starting central defender at the club. However, Maguire, the club’s captain, recently sustained an ankle injury in the 3-1 away win at Villa Park against Aston Villa on Sunday in the Premier League.

Following the injury, former midfielder Scholes has said that Bailly now has the opportunity he has been seeking to use and impress manager Olé Gunnar Solksjær to still trust him as a reliable option in defense.

Scholes says it is very much understandable why the former Villarreal defender has not been playing enough games but that he now has the chance to showcase and prove himself to his manager in the next few days.

United have fixture congestion that will see them play on Tuesday after their Villa game on Sunday. They will also play another game at the weekend, meaning they have a couple of games coming and everyone would be needed to remain sharp till the season comes to a close as they will all be given the chance to play.

Solksjær has all but secured Champions League football for United ahead of next season and this will help attract their top transfer targets this summer.