Eric Bailly Reportedly Considering Man United Future Amid Jose Mourinho Rumours

Manchester United defender Eric Bailly is said to be considering his future at the club because of a deterioration in his relationship with manager Jose Mourinho. 

Bailly started the first two games of the Premier League season for United but has not featured from the start since a dismal display in the loss to Brighton & Hove Albion on August 19.

According to Sean Kearns of Metro, the Ivory Coast international is unhappy about being kept on the fringes: "While Bailly accepts his display was nowhere near the required standard against the Seagulls, Metro.co.uk can reveal the defender has felt marginalised by Mourinho ever since and believes he's had to shoulder the blame for United's poor start to the season."

Kearns added that while the centre-back is "happy" at Old Trafford, more than two years on from joining from Villarreal, he wants to know his status in the squad before making any concrete decisions over his long-term future.

Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images

Bailly was also left out of the squad at times last season, notably starting just one of the team's final eight games of the campaign.

Despite having Bailly, Phil Jones, Chris Smalling, Victor Lindelof and Marcos Rojo on his books, as Kearns reported, Mourinho appeared intent on signing a new central defender in the summer transfer window.

Following Bailly's and Lindelof's abject displays in the loss to Brighton, with the duo making a number of major mistakes in the 3-2 defeat, Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News said Mourinho should have stuck with the defenders:

However, for United's next fixture, the manager axed the duo. The Red Devils still showcased defensive weaknesses in a 3-0 loss to Tottenham Hotspur, with Mourinho opting to use midfielder Ander Herrera as part of a three-man defence from the start.

Spanish football journalist Colin Millar suggested the issues Bailly and other players at United are having are indicative of a bigger problem: 

Bailly looked as though he was going to be a major success at United in his early stages at the club. However, a number of injuries prevented him from kicking on during his debut campaign and stopped him from featuring regularly in 2017-18.

Getting back to the levels he showcased at the start of his time as a United player is the challenge for Bailly, who needs games in spite of having form and fitness issues to conquer.