Ralf Rangnick’s decision to include Phi Jones against Liverpool for Manchester United has casted doubts over the future of Eric Bailly.
Jones has only started one league game this season, but Rangnick trusted him to play against Liverpool on Tuesday evening.
Rangnick decided to name a back five, and with Raphael Varane out injured, it was between two players to play alongside Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof.
“He [Jones] should be an important part of our backline, he played well when he played in that position against Wolves, I had to decide between him and Eric Bailly and that’s why I went with him,” Rangnick told MUTV (as quoted by MEN, via Stretty News)
Jones hadn’t previously played against Liverpool since 2017, and for Rangnick to select him over Bailly speaks volumes about the future of the latter. The Englishman has struggled with fitness in recent times, and the game against Liverpool was only his second start in the last two seasons.
Manchester United are set for an overhaul this summer, and agent Rob Segal believes they must prioritise a centre back this summer, via Caught Offside.
If the Manchester club do sign a central defender, Bailly is going to fall even further down the pecking order, so it’s unlikely that he’d want to stay at the club beyond this season. The Ivorian has only started four league games himself this campaign.