George Baker
Team News: Eric Bailly and Amad Diallo to miss Manchester United pre-season
According to team news from MEN, the Manchester United duo of Eric Bailly and Amad Diallo will miss the club’s pre-season. The pair have been named in Ivory Coast’s squad for the Olympics. Their campaign starts on the 22nd and they will at least be occupied until the 28th, longer if they make it past the group stages.
United have planned a proper pre-season this year after the constricted schedule last time. Four games have been scheduled to be played between 18th July and 7th August. The four games will be against Derby County, QPR, Brentford and Everton.
The preseason should offer Solskjaer some time to figure out his side for the coming season. New tactics and formations are likely to be tested out in the warm-up games. It will also allow certain academy stars to stake their claim for a spot in the first team.
However, with the Euros going on and the Olympics to follow later, Solskjaer has been handed a setback. Ivory Coast have called up Amad Diallo and Eric Bailly for their games in the Olympics where they will play Saudi Arabia, Germany and Brazil. The group stage will last from 22nd July to 28th July. That itself collides with most of the games United have planned. This means that the duo will not be featuring in any of the pre-season games.
More Manchester United News:
- Sergio Ramos snubs £10million offer from Manchester United to join Paris Saint-Germain
- Spanish veteran Juan Mata signs new Manchester United contract
- Manchester United ready to swap Paul Pogba for Raphael Varane
While it would have been good to have the full squad and new signings to work with during the pre-season, Solskjaer will have to work with what he has available. A lot of players will only return later in the month after their international commitments and a few weeks of rest.
