Report: Manchester United defender ready to quit amid Arsenal and Tottenham interest

What's the story?

According to the Mirror, Manchester United defender, Eric Bailly is considering quitting the Red Devils and move elsewhere once the January transfer market opens.

It's believed that Bailly is frustrated with his less playing time and Mourinho's considerable lack of faith on the Ivory Coast centre back. Both Tottenham and Arsenal are tipped to move for the 24-year-old if he decides to make a switch from Old Trafford.

Mauricio Pochettino knows Bailly well beforehand during his time in LaLiga and would love to bring him to Tottenham.

In case you didn't know

Bailly was Mourinho's one of four signings in his first season at United. The Ivory Coast international was bought to Old Trafford from Villarreal at a reported transfer fee of £30milllion. There was a lot of buzz around the arrival of Eric Bailly with the expectation that he will provide the missing stability in the fragile United back four.

He won Manchester United's Player of Month award in August 2016, and since his injury, he has not been the same performer as before. Eric signed on a four year deal with an option of an additional two. He is into his third season and still has one more left in his contract.

The heart of the matter

Despite the impressive start to his United career, Eric Bailly somehow failed to live up to the promise after his injury. He gets the blame for his rash decision making and a casual approach to the game.

After the 3-2 defeat against Brighton, Mourinho heavily criticised him for his performance and didn't even include him in the matchday against Spurs. Being regarded as one of the best defenders, Bailly has to make a decision if he is frozen out by Mourinho.

Rumour probability: 5/10

The Mirror is a reliable source, and it is quite evident that Bailly is out of favor at United, but neither the player nor the manager has made any such comments directly in front of the media which makes this rumor hard to believe for the time being.

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What's next?

The defensive situation at Old Trafford is a bit shaky at the moment, and there are no places for granted in that back four for United. Bailly will have ample opportunities to prove himself, but he needs to keep patience and work hard just like Luke Shaw did after he was berated publicly by Mourinho in the previous season. But now he has made a strong comeback with a point to prove and has made his way back into Mourinho's good books.