Manchester United have reportedly ‘accepted’ that giving a three-year contract to defender Eric Bailly was a ‘mistake’.
Bailly signed the contract extension last April, which he said, at the time, he aimed to remain injury-free and achieve his dream of winning the Premier League title with the club.
However, it has been a miserable season for the Ivory Coast international, who has made just six starts so far this campaign.
Bailly has been behind Harry Maguire, Raphael Varane and Victor Lindelof in the pecking order at Old Trafford.
According to Manchester Evening News, Man United have privately admitted that the decision to offer the 28-year-old a contract extension was an error of judgment.
The report added that the deal took place because of the club’s former executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward’s strategy of “tying down peripheral players to new deals to increase their resale value”.
Meanwhile, Bailly has grown disillusioned with life at Old Trafford because of his lack of opportunities and has been frustrated that out-of-form captain, Harry Maguire has kept his place in the starting line-up ahead of him.
Those frustrations became public when he made a plea to start ahead of Maguire during their Premier League 3-1 defeat to Arsenal last month.
Replying to a fan who said he wanted Bailly and Varane to start for Man United against Arsenal, Bailly commented ‘please’ with a laughing and a praying emoji on Instagram.
Asked about Bailly’s post, Rangnick said during his pre-match press conference before the Arsenal clash with Man United that it’s not right for the former Villarreal defender to write such.
Rangnick said, “If it’s true what you told me, it’s not the right sign and should not happen in a football club, no matter what league.
“I’m not on Instagram. Listen, I’m not talking about my players in the press conference not knowing what has happened, it doesn’t make sense. I can only tell you, never in my life will I be part of Instagram.”
