Cote d’Ivoire international defender has accused Manchester United of paying less attention to African players while he was at Old Trafford.
Bailly, who joined Marseille on loan at the start of the season, claimed that English players who were not fit were selected ahead of African players. Under Jose Mourinho, Baiily had a lot of game time, but under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick last season, he started three Premier League games, while out-of-form captain Harry Maguire started 28 times in the league.
Ahead of today’s Champions League game against Tottenham in London, Baiily said: “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’ve always had the feeling that the national player was prioritised,” Bailly told The Times.
“That doesn’t happen at Chelsea or other big Premier League clubs. Some people take it for granted that they are going to start, and that weakens the team. Luckily [Erik] Ten Hag has a lot of character and I hope he can change that dynamic.”
Bailly featured under Erik ten Hag in pre-season this summer, but with Lisandro Martinez arriving from Ajax for £56million and Maguire, Raphael Varane and Victor Lindelof also at the club, he felt he had to leave to play more regularly.
“I met Erik Ten Hag in the dressing room at the end of last season when he went to sign his contract,” Bailly said.
“I was packing my things because my intention was to leave, but he told me he wanted me to stay because he was going to give minutes to everyone.
“I agreed to do the summer tour with United, and he kept his word, but I don’t want to play every now and then. I want to do it every week and feel important. I want to get my confidence back.”