Ole Gunnar Solskjaer hopes Eric Bailly’s return reinforces Manchester United’s shaky defence
‘Eric is fit again, a big big plus and looking forward to seeing him develop and play more games’
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is hoping the return of Eric Bailly will shore up Manchester United's leaky defence after they shipped three goals in their Premier League opener against Crystal Palace.
United's centre-back partnership of Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof came under fire following their display against Palace, with the 3-1 defeat highlighting the club's need for a more dynamic presence in the heart of the defence.
A knee injury limited Bailly to 11 appearances last season but the Ivorian looked assured in United's 3-0 victory against Luton Town in the League Cup on Tuesday.
"Eric is fit again, a big big plus and looking forward to seeing him develop and play more games. We've been waiting him to be fit and play more regularly," Solskjaer told reporters ahead of Saturday's trip to Brighton and Hove Albion.
"I think last season proved to us how we can defend at our best, last week wasn't fantastic, we conceded sloppy goals, but I think our defensive record from last season with Eric and Harry shows how good a partnership they were."
Saturday's game will be the first of a double header against Brighton, with United set to visit the Amex Stadium for their League Cup fourth-round tie next week.
"We have to take it one game at a time, the Premier League first and all our focus is on that. We had a bad start last week and we want kick on and play a better game," Solskjaer added.
Reuters
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments