Manchester United supporters are desperate for the club to be active in the January transfer window.
United progressed through to the fourth round of the FA Cup on Monday evening courtesy of a 1-0 win over Aston Villa, yet the result somewhat masked a disjointed performance.
Ralf Rangnick fielded a strong starting XI for the clash, with senior centre-backs Victor Lindelof and Raphael Varane tasked with shackling Villa's star-studded frontline.
Of course, Rangnick's options at centre-back were limited and one player who couldn't be considered for selection due to his Africa Cup of Nations commitments was Eric Bailly.
27-year-old Bailly has had a strange season so far at Old Trafford. He hasn't had much game time under Rangnick, playing a total of 172 minutes under the interim manager, and he finds himself way down the pecking order behind Lindelof, Varane and Harry Maguire.
It feels like Bailly's time at Old Trafford is up and Gianluca Di Marzio reports that he could be on his way to AC Milan. He adds that Bailly has agreed to join the Italian giants and, to be honest, this feels like a move that suits all parties.
While Bailly's departure looks to be on the horizon, Rangnick has to ensure United avoid repeating a mistake they've made far too often before.
United's transfer dealings have been more impressive over the last few seasons, though they seem to have a flaw when negotiating deals for outgoing players. The amount of times we've allowed players who have been deemed surplus to requirements to leave on loan instead of demanding permanent moves is pretty astonishing.
Alexis Sanchez, Jesse Lingard, Andreas Pereira and Diogo Dalot are just some of the recent examples where United have sent unwanted players out on temporary moves in the hope they'll recapture their best form and return to help the club. It rarely works.
Most will probably agree that it's time for Bailly to leave and United should count themselves lucky that he seems to be showing a willingness to cut ties with the club. Phil Jones is just one example of a player who has barely played for United in recent seasons, yet still he finds himself on the club's books.
If AC Milan are willing to make a permanent offer for Bailly, United can't afford to haggle with the price. Just take what's offered and let him go.
By the way, in no way am I criticising Bailly here, but this could offer Rangnick the chance to clear out some of the deadwood and use any money generated from the sale to reinvest in other areas of the squad (cough, midfield, cough).
Currently, Bailly is valued at £7.2m by Transfermarkt and, while that may not seem like a particularly eye-watering amount, it could be used to sign someone like Denis Zakaria who's reportedly available for around £6m.
Pretty much every United fan has a soft spot for Bailly. He's always great fun to watch but we need to be sensible about this.
His sale could help the club in the long run and we can't afford to let this opportunity pass us by.
Do United need to get rid of Bailly permanently? Follow our United On My Mind writer Omar Garrick on Twitter to get involved in the discussion and give us your thoughts on the matter in the comments section below.
