Manchester United defender Eric Bailly has indicated that he is open to asking for a move away from the club if he is not promised regular game time by manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer ahead of next season.

The Ivory Coast international's ultimatum comes just before United take on Villarreal in the Europa League final at Gdansk on Wednesday night. Bailly is expected to start the game with Red Devils skipper Harry Maguire unlikely to play due to an ankle injury.

Bailly missed out on United's Europa League triumph four years ago due to an injury and is desperate to play in the final. Victor Lindelof and Maguire are Solskjaer's preferred starting options, but the skipper's injury could see him bring the Ivorian back into the fold.

The former Villarreal center back has managed just 12 appearances in the Premier League this season. He has spent time away from the team either due to injury or playing second fiddle to the first choice pair by warming the bench.

Bailly signed a new long-term contract earlier in the year and welcomes the competition for match starts. He even revealed that he had a good conversation about his role in the team going forward with Solskjaer before putting pen-to-paper on a new deal.

"Before signing the contract I wanted to be clear about my future in the team," Bailly told The Times. "I spoke to him and he told me he wanted me to stay. The most important thing was not the renewal but the conversation we had: we sat down, we talked and he told me what he wanted from me and that he wanted me to continue."

However, the Ivory Coast defender has made it clear that it does not matter that he has a long-term contract with the club. If he is not guaranteed regular game time going forward, the center back is open to listening to proposals from other interested clubs.

"I just say that I want to stay in case I get the chance to play. I don't want to be a starter one game and a substitute for another five. If that happens I will have to look for another solution," he added. "The new contract is fine but if I don't play I will be open to listen to other proposals."

Eric Bailly
Eric Bailly is close to returning after almost three months on the side lines with an ankle injury
Manchester United FC