How has Eric Bailly bounced back?

If you'd told me in the summer that Manchester United had received a bid for defender Eric Bailly, I would have shouted and screamed for him to be sold. A fringe player with frequent injuries and a poor foul and penalty record, I thought this was the summer to move him on.

Just like Ashley Young, Alexis Sanchez and Romelu Lukaku, Bailly's high wages outweighed his utility to Manchester United. I believed him to be the next part of Ole's clean-out project.

Whilst popular amongst fans, Bailly has endured an injury-plagued stint at United and has struggled with consistency and form. When Manchester Evening News reported that a loan was a possibility in the January window back in September, I can't say I was surprised.

Instead, 17 games in to the season, a triumphant Bailly has returned and has played a massive part in firing United into 1st place ahead of Sunday's game against Liverpool. So how exactly has he bounced back?

The Problem

When talking about defenders, there are very few centre-backs who do not need a complimentary partner alongside them in order to keep clean sheets.

Virgil Van Dijk is one - playing with any of Matip, Gomez or Lovren (before he left for Zenit of course) seemed to make very little impact on his consistently monstrous performances as the back.

One man, unlike Van Dijk, who certainly does need a complementary centre-back partner is Harry Maguire. Despite heavy criticism, there is no doubt in my mind that the Manchester United captain is an excellent defender and has improved the Red Devil's leaky defence tenfold. This does not mean he can do it on his own - I rate him highly, but he's nowhere near Van Dijk's level.

Until recently, that help came in the form of Victor Lindelof, a smart Swedish centre back dubbed 'Iceman' by fans due to his calming presence.

Maguire has often been paired with Lindelof at the heart of Solskjaer's defence.

Lindelof is a popular figure amongst United fans and there has previously been interest in his services from Barcelona, which goes some way to illustrate why Solsjkaer has stuck by him through the thick and thin.

However, his partnership with Maguire has been distinctly average. It is not reminiscent of the Smalling/Jones era that United fans had to endure, but it has seen avoidable goals hit the back of David de Gea's net.

These are two very good, highly rated centre-backs, but they do not complement each other. Both are good in the air and like to be first to challenge (meaning they cannot cover each other effectively) and both are a little on the slow side.

Having slow centre-backs is by no means a curse, but if you like to play as United do - high pressing and high intensity, you need to have a yard of pace in your pocket in case you get caught on the counter.

Furthermore, I would describe Lindelof as a conservative defender - he prefers to read the game and position himself accordingly, so that the passing lane is cut off, removing the need for him to actively intercept a pass or cross. Maguire is much the same, rarely making a challenge unless he knows he can win the ball cleanly.

Set pieces and goals on the counter have caused problems for this pairing, who are a little slow to react and sometimes not brave enough - so what is the solution?

The Solution

Enter - Eric Bailly.

His attributes seem much better suited to complementing Maguire than Lindelof's. Fast, strong and surprisingly good with this feet, Bailly suits the way that Ole wants his defenders to play.

This season has seen the implementation of playing out from the back, something Maguire and Shaw seem confident doing. Wan-Bissaka has been a bit slower to pick it up, but he's coming round. However, Lindelof has often been seen to play backwards, inviting more pressure and forcing the ball back round all of the defenders again. Bailly does not mind taking players on one-on-one and I don't think I have ever seen such an air of confidence from a defender on the ball under pressure.

A resurgent Eric Bailly has fought his way back into the United team with a string of impressive performances.

He covers Maguire very well and whilst attackers know that he is fast, his acceleration over short distances is startling - as Ashley Barnes found out very quickly at Turf Moor.

However, the big one - bravery. There have been a few goals go in under the Lindelof-Maguire partnership that could be described as avoidable had one of them had taken control of the situation. Eric Bailly makes it his undying responsibility to stop shots at his goal.

Scenes of Bailly being mobbed at St Mary's at full time following his last minute heroics are an obvious example of how he makes this team better. Southampton grabbed a last-minute equaliser against United in this tie last season (ironically, due to poor defending from Lindelof from a set piece) and it looked as if history was about to repeat itself, before Bailly threw himself in front of the ball.

He does have the ability to carry the ball, but his decision making has really improved, and he balances this dribbling out from the back with the know-how of when to simply clear the ball.

His no-nonsense nature has always earned him the love of United fans and it offers a bit of variety to United's defending. Maguire always carries or passes the ball off, but Bailly often likes to send a message to his opponents by firing the ball so far away from them that they will think twice about taking him on again.

One thing overlooked by United fans is the fact that Aaron Wan-Bissaka left Lindelof horribly exposed at times. Bailly covers not just Maguire, but his right-back too.

If you watched the game at Turf Moor without “crowd noise”, you would have heard Bailly constantly calling Wan-Bissaka's position and making his aware of any Burnley players on his side.

But - let's not get carried away...

Whilst recent success would suggest that Bailly and Maguire were made for each other - let us not forget why Lindelof held his spot for so long.

An obvious example of why we shouldn't get carried away would be to recount the 6-1 home loss to Spurs. Whilst they were down to 10 men, Bailly and Maguire were outright comical at the back for United.

Remember, this run of games has not seen Bailly come up against the highest quality that the Premier League has to offer - he has a mistake in him. Think of Bournemouth last season, when Bailly threw his hands up in the air and touched the ball under no pressure to gift the Cherries a penalty.

Lindelof and Maguire may not completely complement each other, but that does not mean that they are ineffective.

In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if Ole picked those two ahead of Bailly against Liverpool. Fans would be outraged, but Bailly can be a loose cannon and the prospect of giving away a penalty or going a man down against the Champions would see them effectively forfeit the game.

Liverpool are too good for anything but a perfect defensive performance, and Bailly's one game against top opposition this season (in the form of Tottenham) ended in utter disaster.

It remains to be seen whether Lindelof can reclaim his starting spot.

Will he hold his place?

This Sunday is absolutely huge for Bailly. If Solskjaer trusts him enough to start him at Anfield, and he plays well, I seem him in the side for the rest of the season (if he stays fit of course).

If Lindelof plays, I believe that Bailly may be back to where he was when he started this run of good form. While it would not surprise me if Lindelof does start, I feel that Bailly has earned a spot in this crucial game - as his performances have helped make this game crucial.

Without Bailly, the resurgence of Paul Pogba and Rashford's last-minute winners, this would just be another game against a rival that means a lot to the fans, but very little to the league table.

Bailly has helped Solskjaer's side into 1st place in the Premier League.

Should United defy all expectations and go on to win the league this season, I expect Bailly to have played a big part in that - but the truth is, until you have your metal tested by the best in the division, you cannot begin to call yourselves challengers.

United were beaten by a City side without a recognised striker just last week (although... Lindelof played that one, not Bailly!), so questions are hanging in the air before the clash against the Champions - can United beat the best to become the best? I certainly cannot begin to take them seriously as title contenders unless they beat Liverpool on Sunday.