Eric Bailly can do better than being Jose Mourinho's scapegoat

It is hard not to feel sorry for Eric Bailly at Manchester United. Jose Mourinho's gloomy declaration of despair over his ability to take a spot kick, when it was in fact Phil Jones who had missed on Tuesday against Derby in the League Cup, seemed a final indignity.

Since the utter capitulation at Brighton in August, the Ivory Coast international has not started a league game for the Red Devils. Conversely, Victor Lindelof, his partner on that miserable afternoon, has been given the opportunity to redeem himself—the message is clear: it is Bailly who has been made the scapegoat for a team-wide underperformance. So what if Ashley Young couldn't stop crosses flying in, or if the midfield…