Manchester United working on Sancho, Alex Telles deals; Bailly to get chance despite Upamecano, Koulibaly interest
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer says Eric Bailly will be given the chance to prove he can be a long-term partner for Harry Maguire, with Manchester United still to strengthen in central defence ahead of the transfer deadline.
Solskjaer wants to bring in at least two more signings before the window closes on October 5 and is working on deals for winger Jadon Sancho and left back Alex Telles.
Centre back is also seen as an area in need of address, with doubts over Victor Lindelof’s ability to play at the heart of defence.
Solskjaer is a long-term admirer of Kalidou Koulibaly and Dayot Upamecano – but he still retains hope Bailly can develop into an ideal partner for Maguire.
The Ivory Coast international is fit again after an injury-ravaged four years at United.
And after Lindelof’s erratic performance in last week’s shock defeat to Crystal Palace, Solskjaer is giving serious thought to bringing Bailly in for Saturday’s game against Brighton.
That would be a big call after Lindelof played the majority of last season alongside Maguire. But Solskjaer revealed his hopes for Bailly, saying: “Eric is fit again now, which is a big bonus and a big plus for us.
“I’m looking forward to seeing him develop and playing more games this season because we’ve been waiting for him to first be fit and then playing more regularly.
“I think last season proved to us how we can defend at our best. Yes, last week wasn’t fantastic. We conceded sloppy goals, but I think our defensive record from last season showed they were. But also the whole team defending as a team.”
Solskjaer is looking for a response from his players after the 3-1 opening day defeat.
“I wasn’t happy with the game against Palace. We weren’t ready to play with intensity we needed or the quality we needed. Then again, after restart, I thought we’d taken big stride.
“Once in a while a game lives a life of its own.
“Palace was very disappointing, but I am confident we can break teams down. We need more imagination to break teams down, that’s for sure.
“We are a week further. We had a good week, with some players training well.
“We played well against Luton. We are further down the line and need to be further down the line because last week was a disappointing one.”
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