Bailly picks his best players at Manchester United this season

Manchester United centre-back Eric Bailly has named Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Luke Shaw as the two players who deserve the club’s Player of the Year award.

The England duo have featured prominently in the Red Devils’ defence this campaign with their defensive and attacking contributions.

Bailly, who recently renewed his contract at Old Trafford until 2024, acknowledged the array of talent in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s squad, but he named the full-backs as the best candidates to succeed last season’s winner Bruno Fernandes.

“It’s very hard to say one player, but for me, if I have to choose, then I choose two players: Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Luke Shaw,” Bailly told the club website.

“For me they deserve it, that’s just my opinion.

“Then also we have Harry [Maguire], Fred, Scott [McTominay]… I could say so many names! So I keep with Aaron and Luke.”

Bailly has been restricted to just 18 games across all competitions this season due to injury challenges and Solskjaer’s selection decision.

However, Shaw and Wan-Bissaka have been in consistent form for Manchester United with significant goalscoring contributions in addition to their defensive duties.

Wan-Bissaka has provided four assists and two goals in all competitions this term while Luke Shaw has six assists and a goal to his name.

The Ivory Coast international further explained the reason behind his selection and he described the duo as the best right-back and left-back in the Premier League this season.

“For me, these two are the best right-back and best left-back in the league,” he continued.

“When I see Luke playing at this level, I am so happy because he has had some difficult times before this. Now he is very happy and is playing every game and playing well. He is back playing for his national team too.

“It’s the same with Aaron. The guy is young, playing every game and giving his best. They have helped our team be strong. They are two young guys who are both focused on giving everything to the team.

“I’m so, so happy for these two.”

After failing to stop Leicester City in Tuesday’s Premier League outing which ended in a 2-1 loss, Bailly will be focused on keeping Manchester United’s defence tidy when they welcome Liverpool to Old Trafford for their rescheduled league fixture on Thursday.