At the weekend, Manchester United’s defensive struggles were evident. The only recognisable centre-back within the matchday squad was Phil Jones, and questions were raised about whether any players would be back in time for the Arsenal match.
Thankfully, though, it looks as if the Red Devils are going to get three major boosts, with Manchester Evening News journalist, Samuel Luckhurst, tweeting that Eric Bailly, Chris Smalling and Antonio Valencia are all with the playing squad.
What this means, at the very least, is the fact that at least United will have natural defenders out on the field. Chris Smalling has been decent over the last few weeks, so no doubt he’ll be the one who’ll be called upon; and rightly so.
#mufc’s defensive injury crisis could significantly ease in time for Arsenal. Bailly, Smalling and Valencia with squad.
— Samuel Luckhurst (@samuelluckhurst) December 4, 2018
Valencia being back in training is an odd one. He’s barely played recently, but Mourinho loves experience so don’t be surprised to see the Ecuador international back in the team rather than the young Diogo Dalot; although it’s the latter who everyone wants to see.
As for Bailly, it feels as though he’s in the doghouse after those mistakes in the season’s early goings. Personally, I still feel as though he’s our best centre-back and I find it absurd that he’s not been involved recently.
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