Bailly Accuses Man Utd Of Showing Favouritism Towards English Players

Bailly joined Ligue 1 side Olympique Marseille on a season-long loan this summer.

The 28-year-old joined Manchester United from Villarreal in the summer of 2016 for £30m and went on to make 113 appearances for the club.

He helped the club win the Europa League and Carabao Cup in his first season but his subsequent years in Manchester have been hampered by fitness issues.

Bailly only made seven appearances across all competitions last season after Raphael Varane joined from Real Madrid.

New Manchester United boss Erik Ten Hag has not named English boys Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw and Aaron Wan-Bissaka in his recent line ups but Bailly feels past managers have been bias in their selections.

"The club should avoid favouring English players and give everyone a chance," he told the Times.

"[The club should] encourage competition in the dressing room, not just look out for some. I've always had the feeling that the [English] 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."

Bailly will make the move to the Stade Velodrome permanent for €6m at the end of the season if Marseille qualify for the Champions League and he reaches a certain number of appearances.

Bailly has won 46 caps for Ivory Coast and was a key member of their 2015 Africa Cup of Nations winning squad.