“They should jump at the chance to get him off the books”- Noel Whelan urges Manchester United to get rid of 'inconsistent' player immediately

Noel Whelan has prompted Manchester United to sell "error-prone" defender Eric Bailly as early as possible.

Eric Bailly has become one of the forgotten defenders in a star-studded United squad. The 27-year-old centre-back has fallen behind the pecking order behind the likes of Harry Maguire and Raphael Varane. As things stand, Bailly has made a mere seven appearances this season across all competitions.

Eric Bailly has failed to live up to expectations since his £34 million transfer from Villarreal back in 2016. According to Transfermarkt, Bailly is currently valued at a low amount of £7.2 million.

Noel Whelan wants Manchester United to sell a defender who will find it difficult to break into the first-team anytime soon. Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, Whelan said:

“They should jump at the chance to get him off the books. He's another player who came in with an incredible amount of hype around him. But he’s not been the player they expected him to be, like many players who arrive at Old Trafford. He can be an incredible defender, but far too often there are too many mistakes in his game. He’s just too inconsistent, and that isn’t what they need."

He added:

“He’s played under many managers, and they’ve decided to bring Harry Maguire, Raphael Varane, and Victor Lindelof all in ahead of him. He’s not going to get in that team it’s best for Man United to get rid. He’ll want to play some first-team football again.”

Eric Bailly was competing in the Africa Cup of Nations for Cote d'Ivoire before they were knocked out in the Round of 16 by Egypt on penalties. The defender missed a crucial spot-kick which resulted in his side's elimination.

Manchester United have invested a lot of money in improving their defense in the last few seasons. The Red Devils paid £80 million to secure the services of Harry Maguire from Leicester City in 2019. United later signed Real Madrid star Raphael Varane for £36 million in the summer of 2021.

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Manchester United have a few players who are approaching the end of their contracts

Manchester United have a few important players who have just six months remaining on their contracts. These include Paul Pogba, Jesse Lingard, Juan Mata and Edinson Cavani.

Amongst those names, Lingard and Paul Pogba have been heavily tipped to leave Old Trafford in the neat future. Jesse Lingard has been linked with a loan move to Newcastle United. However, according to Sky Sports, that deal collapsed following the club's differences in loan value.

Paul Pogba, on the other hand, has not been linked with a move away from the club in January but is looking likely to leave on a free transfer at the end of the season.