Manchester United defender, Eric Bailly, has sent out a subtle plea to Ralf Rangnick tostart ahead of captain, Harry Maguire in Saturday’s clash against Arsenal.

Bailly has fallen down the pecking order with Ragnick preferring the likes of Lindelof, Raphael Varane, and regular Maguire to hold the club’s defensive line.

The 28-year-old took to social media to make a case for himself to feature in Saturday’s cracker.

A fan replying under training photos posted on Friday by the club on Instagram, wrote, ‘start Bailly x Varane’, and Bailly replied: ‘please!’, equally including a laughing emoji and a pair of praying hands.

Tuesday’s humiliating defeat at the hands of Merseyside giants, Liverpool raised a trending #Maguireout post that saw United faithful calling for the English defender’s axing from the club

Tensions appeared to have further escalated on Thursday when Maguire received a bomb threat with the 29-year-old’s home swept by Cheshire Constabulary to ensure his safety.

“In the last 24 hours, Harry has received a serious threat to his family home,” a spokesman for Maguire said.

“He has reported this to the police who are now looking into the matter.

“The safety of his family and those around him is obviously Harry’s number one priority.

“He will continue to prepare for this weekend’s fixture as normal and we will not be commenting in any further detail at this time.”

The Ivorian international joined United from Villarreal in 2016 and has since made 113 appearances across all competitions, with one goal during that time.

Rangnick’s side is currently in sixth place on the table, three points behind Tottenham and Arsenal in the race for a Champions League spot.(AFP via Channels)