Eric Bailly has struggled to stay healthy but Man United need him if they are to reach the heights they desire. Photo by Matthew Ashton - AMA/Getty Images)
Can Eric Bailly take the lead in central defence? Like him, the other players in his position at Manchester United all have their own significant challenges, but he seems to be by far the most talented of the pack.
Like Bailly, Phil Jones struggles with injury. Chris Smalling is fairly solid, with the occasional glaring error, but his greatest shortcomings are arguably in attack rather than defence — more on that later. Marcos Rojo has enjoyed periods of good form, and plays the ball out well from the back, but there is a long-term question over his reliability. Victor Lindelof had a fine World Cup for Sweden but that was in a team which was conservative in its approach, and a more expansive attitude to passing is needed in the Premier League.
That leaves Bailly, a player whose tenure at Old Trafford has been frustrating and impressive in roughly equal measure. When the Ivory Coast international arrived from Villarreal two summers ago, it was remarked by some observers — not entirely in jest — that United had bought the wrong defender from the Spanish side. Mateo Musacchio was regarded as the better option, being a more composed and developed player, though Bailly’s potential was clear for all to see.
Bailly, however, surpassed all expectation. It is arguable that of the four players Jose Mourinho acquired that year, he had the most consistent season. Zlatan Ibrahimovic, though he scored plenty of goals, squandered presentable opportunities at key moments. Paul Pogba, despite passages of unparalleled brilliance, often looked overwhelmed by his status as the world’s most expensive player. Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s self-confidence, already a fragile edifice in his early months at the club, dissolved entirely after a poor showing against Manchester City.
Yet Bailly, to quote the famous TV series The Wire, stood tall. Not only is he technically gifted, able to waltz past most opposing forwards with the ease of a creative midfielder, he is extremely relaxed under pressure. He can play a disciplined game as a man-marker, or take a more progressive attitude. Crucially, he has what Smalling lacks — the confidence to play the ball through the middle of the field, into the feet of his midfielders. This is a vital passing lane, and one which United sorely underuse at present.