Manchester United extend Eric Bailly’s contract till 2022
Manchester United have activated a clause that has lead to a two-year contract extension of defender Eric Bailly. The Ivory Coast international, who arrived at Old Trafford in a £30 million transfer from Villarreal in the summer of 2016, had been due to be out of contract at the end of this season.
Manchester United have triggered the option to extend centre back Eric Bailly’s contract by two more years keeping him at Old Trafford till the end of 2021-22 season, as reported by ESPN. Bailly is yet to feature this term after picking up a serious knee injury during the USA pre-season tour. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been reduced to very few options at the centre back after Bailly’s injury and has mainly trusted Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof as the centre back pairing.
The 25-year-old defender signed for the Red Devils in 2016 and was touted to be one of the best signings for United in last five years. The former Villareal player did impress under Jose Mourinho but a series of injuries pushed him out of the team. Since then he has never been able to nail down a starting spot. During the summer pre-season, he was impressive under Ole Gunnar Solskajer but a knee injury put him on the sidelines for a lengthy spell.
But having returned to action with United's Under-23 team this month, Bailly is in contention for a return to senior duty in the FA Cup fourth round tie at Watford or Tranmere on January 26. Meanwhile, United also bid farewell to Ashley Young, who joined Inter Milan for a fee reported to be around £1 million. Once fully fit, Bailly will be in contention for a place in the starting eleven as the Norwegian boss regards him a valuable player to have.