Manchester United boss considering sale of defensive duo

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho is reportedly considering the sale of defensive duo Marcos Rojo and Eric Bailly in the New Year as he aims to bring in fresh faces at the heart of the backline. The Red Devils have experienced an average start to the Premier League season with just 20 points after the opening 12 matches and this has partly come about from the struggles at the back.

According to The Sun, the Portuguese tactician is likely to push through the departures of Rojo and Bailly during the winter transfer window with the focus on signing at least one central defender during that period. It is added that Bayern Munich’s Jerome Boateng and Inter Milan’s Milan Skriniar are among the prime targets who could be under consideration at the turn of the year.

United were very impressive with the defensive prowess in the league during the previous campaign but they have not been able to replicate the feat this term despite Mourinhosticking with a settled combination of late. As such, Mourinho is said to be desperate for some changes in the backline and Rojo and Bailly appear the likelier candidates to make way, having barely received gametime.

Bailly did start the first couple of Premier League matches but a poor performance at Brighton & Hove Albion saw him frequently benched. Thereafter, he managed to make another comeback versus Newcastle United but he could only last for 19 minutes before being hauled off for another off-key performance.

Bailly has since been waiting in the wings for an opportunity, which does not appear to come, and this has certainly got the rumour mill going ahead of the New Year. Meanwhile, Marcos Rojo has yet to earnanygametime this campaign despite recovering from a series of knee injuries, which hampered him during the opening months of the season.