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Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has lashed out at Manchester United defender Eric Bailly for accusing the Red Devils of favoring English players.
Bailly, who joined Manchester United from Villarreal in 2016, secured a move away from Old Trafford this summer. Olympique Marseille have signed him on a season-long loan with an option to make the move permanent.
The Ivory Coast international has found playing time hard to come by in England since being displaced by Harry Maguire in 2019. He made just seven appearances in all competitions for the Red Devils last term.
Speaking ahead of Marseille's UEFA Champions League match against Tottenham Hotspur, Bailly opened up about his frustrations at Manchester United. He claimed that the club tend to be biased toward English players and hinted at annoyance at Maguire.
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Carragher has now hit back at Bailly by labeling his comments as 'absolute nonsense'. The Liverpool great pointed out how the 28-year-old has been constantly unavailable for the Red Devils.
The former defender went on to insist that Maguire is better than the Ivorian. Carragher wrote on Twitter:
"Absolute nonsense, Eric Bailly has been injured consistently and poor when he has played. That’s why they keep buying players to replace him! Harry Maguire is a better player."
It is worth noting that Bailly is still on Manchester United's books, with two more years remaining on his deal. However, his comments may signal the end of his association with the Red Devils even if his move to Marseille does not become permanent.
The Premier League giants forked out a sum of £30 million to sign Bailly from Villarreal in 2016. The centre-back has made 113 appearances across all competitions for the club. However, he has missed a mammoth 103 games for the club till date due to injury and COVID.
Manchester United are set to kick-off their European campaign
The Red Devils, though, are unlikely to pay attention to Bailly's comments as they have other things to focus on. They are preparing for their first UEFA Europa League match of the season.
Erik ten Hag's side are scheduled to host Real Sociedad in Group E on Thursday (September 8). They will be determined to get their European campaign off to a winning start.
The Old Trafford outfit have been in fine form recently despite having a poor start to the season. They lost their first two Premier League matches, but have since won all four of their games.
Ten Hag and Co. have beaten Liverpool and Arsenal during their four-game winning run. They now sit fifth in the league table, having earned 12 points from six matches so far. They are also just three points behind Mikel Arteta's table-toppers.
