‘It’s a blessing he’s actually got injured and had to come off’: Rio Ferdinand slams Eric Bailly’s first half display in Manchester United’s Champions League clash against PSG
- Rio Ferdinand slammed Eric Bailly’s performance for Manchester United at PSG
- The Ivorian endured a horrid evening at the hands of Angel Di Maria on the right
- Bailly was eventually replaced by Diogo Dalot in the 36th minute due to an injury
- Ferdinand blamed him for the goal and called his substitution ‘a blessing’
Rio Ferdinand and his fellow BT Sport pundits have slammed Eric Bailly’s first half display in Manchester United’s Champions League clash against Paris Saint-Germain.
The Ivorian started on the right of United’s back four and endured a horrid evening at the hands of Angel Di Maria, playing a major role in the French side’s first goal.
Bailly was eventually replaced by Diogo Dalot in the 36th minute due to an injury, a move that former United defender Ferdinand described as ‘a blessing’ at half-time.
Rio Ferdinand and the BT Sport pundits have slammed Eric Bailly’s first half display at PSG
The Ivorian endured a horrid evening at the hands of Angel Di Maria in the French capital
He said: ‘His body language there (for PSG’s goal) is horrendous.
‘He doesn’t look like a defender at all. He looks like a midfielder in the back four and somebody who shouldn’t be there.
‘Him and Ashley Young haven’t got to grips with this right-hand side. It would have been negligent to leave him on the pitch. They’ve had a couple of balls flashed across the box from this side and it just hasn’t worked out. It’s a blessing he’s actually got injured and had to come off.’
Fellow pundits Michael Owen and Owen Hargreaves also waded in. The former Liverpool and United striker claimed United’s defence ‘probably was a back three actually because he (Bailly) wasn’t at the races tonight.’
Bailly was eventually replaced by team-mate Diogo Dalot in the 36th minute due to an injury
Hargreaves praised the Parisians for responding to Romelu Lukaku’s early strike but also blamed Bailly for the hosts’ equaliser.
He added: ‘Credit PSG it was a good reaction from going 1-0 down. They’ve (United) had issues down that right side all half. Bailly needs to step up and get in line with his defenders.
‘The worst part is that in the second phase he’s got to get in there and deal with it, he’s the defender but he doesn’t.’
