Sir Alex Ferguson’s triumphant and dominant 26-year reign where he amassed numerous Premier League titles, five FA Cups and a historic treble was largely built on his squad's mentality, mindset and hunger to play a part in the club's success. Bailly’s recent comments highlight why the club have failed to show a fighting spirit and determination to win in recent years.
In a recent interview, Bailly claimed that Manchester United have shown favouritism towards the English players within the squad. He said to The Times: “The club should avoid favouring English players and give everyone a chance.
"The club should encourage competition in the dressing room, not just look out for some. I have always had the feeling that the national player was prioritised.”
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Some fans would argue his words have some truth to them as there were times when his performances deserved recognition, he never managed to play a run of games as he was often dropped to the bench for captain and England international Harry Maguire despite his poor form under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Even though Bailly has a point that Maguire received more opportunities under Solskjaer than he did, some would argue he is shirking from responsibility. During his six-year spell at United, he failed to show consistency and would often have a major mistake in him during a match.
The Ivorian international also spent a significant portion of his United career on the treatment table, missing a total of 103 matches in comparison to only making 113 appearances during his time on the club's books.
Ferguson’s United dynasty recognised the value of having squad players that he relied on when his preferred players were out of form or injured. In order to create a winning mentality within a team, players must want to stay and fight for their spot in the starting 11.
Although perhaps understandable that he had grown weary of a lack of playing time, it seems Bailly finally lost the desire to fight for his place. He said: “I agreed to do the summer tour with United, but I don’t want to play every now and then. I want to do it every week and feel important.”
It is still early days but it appears that Erik ten Hag is building a squad with a winning ethos and players who want to fight for their roles at the club. This is also evidenced by the fact he allowed Dean Henderson to join Nottingham Forest on loan as he had also grown sick of playing second-fiddle and wanted more game-time.
By taking a leaf out of Ferguson's book and wanting every player to show a strong desire to play for the club, it may very well bring back the glory days for Manchester United.
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