Man Utd loanee Bailly slammed over Mbappe marking job

Suraj Radia

• 27 Feb 2023 19:08 GMT
• 2 min read

On-loan Manchester United defender Eric Bailly has been criticised for his marking of Kylian Mbappe during Marseille’s 0-3 loss to Paris Saint-Germain.

Mbappe netted twice in the game to become PSG’s joint all-time record goalscorer with 200 goals and send the club eight points clear of their opponents at the top of Ligue 1.

Bailly played a part in two of PSG’s goals, first losing Mbappe for the opener before being nutmegged by the forward for Lionel Messi to score the Parisian’s second.

STATS: Mbappe's return this season

The Ivorian defender has struggled this season at Marseille and he was the subject of criticism from former French striker Thierry Henry, who called on Bailly to be more ‘brave’ when handling Mbappe.

Henry said: “Bailly, it's not possible to be so low in every action. I understand, the speed is scary but you also have to be a little brave.

He was too far from him throughout the game. [Leonardo] Balerdi had to come and compensate. At some point, you can't be that far from your opponent.”

Bailly’s downfall at United and Marseille

Bailly has 18 months remaining on his United contract but is expected to be moved on this summer, with Marseille seemingly unconvinced at his performances so far while on loan.

The 28-year-old has made just four starts in Ligue 1 and received a seven-match ban earlier in the season for a poor challenge, leaving Marseille unlikely to extend his stay with the club.

BANNED: How Bailly was suspended for horror tackle

Bailly has also struggled with injuries this season, similar to his time at United where he made just 45 Premier League appearances in the past five seasons.

Local French paper La Provence said Bailly ‘crumbled’ in his performance against Mbappe and that he was ‘unable to keep up with the pace of the game’.