Man Utd boss Jose Mourinho has opted to leave defender Eric Bailly out for the last three games, and it has reportedly led to doubts over his future at the club.
The 24-year-old was left out of the squad to face Tottenham before the international break, while he has totalled just two minutes of football in the last two games after coming on as a late substitute against both Burnley and Watford.
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With Chris Smalling stepping in against the latter and impressing, it remains to be seen whether or not Bailly gets another chance to impress Mourinho and win his place back any time soon.
However, according to The Mirror, his situation has alerted both Arsenal and Tottenham and so it remains to be seen whether or not he begins to feature prominently again or continues to be left on the fringes by Mourinho before the January transfer window.
The Portuguese tactician certainly isn’t short in that department, with Phil Jones, Victor Lindelof, Marcos Rojo and Bailly all fighting it out for a starting berth when fit.
Nevertheless, Bailly has impressed for the most part since his move from Villarreal in 2016, and so it would be a surprise to see him leave Old Trafford given he will only improve further with experience and maturity.
Time will tell if an exit materialises, but it’s suggested that both Arsenal and Tottenham could make a move to shore up their respective backlines.
The Gunners still look a little short with Laurent Koscielny remaining sidelined by injury, although with Jan Vertonghen, Toby Alderweireld and Davinson Sanchez, it’s questionable if Spurs need to add another quality option in that department.
It remains to be seen if Bailly pushes for a new challenge, and perhaps more importantly, if United are willing to even let him consider a move to a Premier League rival. Meanwhile, with the fixture list set to get busy in the coming months, it might be sensible for the Red Devils to keep him for depth purposes.