Eric Bailly's situation at Manchester United is an extremely strange one.The Ivorian has seemingly been fit for Man United in recent weeks but he has failed to make it into the starting eleven.And alarm bells were raised when Mourinho decided to leave Bailly out altogether for Sunday's game against Arsenal, with Marcos Rojo given a place on the bench instead.Many think that something had gone on between Bailly and Mourinho, and those fears have only intensified after the 24-year-old missed Man United's Player of the Year awards on Monday.He has made just two starts in the league since December, and it has been reported that Bailly is unhappy after being frozen out of the team.
JOSE MOURINHO'S BIZARRE EXPLANATION
Jose Mourinho has now addressed the situation, and it's extremely bizarre.
According to the Portuguese manager, Bailly has been dropped because he wants to give opportunities to other defenders who want to play in the World Cup.
Ivory Coast will not feature in Russia, so Mourinho is keeping him out of the team because he doesn't have to impress anyone.
"There's no situation," Mourinho said of Bailly. "It's fine, no injury. He is one of our five central defenders and honestly my work is not about World Cups and preparing players for the World Cup or giving chances to players at the World Cup, but he's the only central defender whose country is not in the World Cup.
"So if I have to make a kind of more emotional effective choice to help my players he's the one I'm not going to help. Rojo, Lindelof, Jones, Smalling, all of them are wishing to make the squad for the World Cup and Eric is not under that pressure.
"I try not to (make those sentimental decisions), I try to be a good team manager and that means a bit cold, a bit selfish but I'm not as bad as that and I still have space for a little bit of feelings.
"So when I look to the other four central defenders fighting for a position in the World Cup I am giving less to Eric."
Right...
If true, that is a nice gesture from Mourinho.
But let's be honest, something doesn't seem right.
Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford want to go to the World Cup, so why are they not playing ahead of Alexis Sanchez?
Chile are not in the World Cup, so why is he being allowed to play while Bailly is out of the team?
It's a fair point, and one that Man United fans have picked up on.
They are simply not buying his reasoning. Many think that Mourinho is a hypocrite, while others want Mourinho to concentrate more on his own team.