Eric Bailly has accused Manchester United of “favouring English players” during his time at Old Trafford, in what appears to be a dig at the club’s selection of Harry Maguire last season.
Bailly has joined Marseille on loan following a season in which he barely played for United after falling behind Maguire, Raphael Varane and Victor Lindelof in the pecking order.
While the Ivory Coast centre-back also missed significant spells of his time at United due to injury, he was regularly left out of the team even when Maguire was struggling for form under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick last campaign.
Since Bailly left United on loan, six years after joining the club from Marseille, new manager Erik ten Hag has favoured a centre-back pairing of Varane and new signing Lisandro Martinez.
Maguire, United’s captain, has not started since the 4-0 defeat to Brentford last month and in comments published by The Times ahead of Marseille’s match against Tottenham in the Champions League, Bailly has suggested players at Old Trafford were picked ahead of him due to their nationality before Ten Hag arrived.
“The club should avoid favouring English players and give everyone a chance,” Bailly said. “[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.”
The £50m signing of Martinez effectively left Bailly as United’s fifth-choice centre back and he joined Marseille in search of regular game time.
“I met Erik Ten Hag in the dressing room at the end of last season when he went to sign his contract,” he also said. “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, who joined Marseille on loan with view to a permanent move, has made two appearances for the French club so far this season.
