Manchester United have rejected an enquiry from Arsenal for central defender Eric Bailly. Arsenal wanted to take Bailly on loan until the end of the season with a view to a permanent deal in the summer. But United do not want to lose the 24-year-old at this stage of the campaign and have no interest in doing anything that might assist a Premier League rival. Bailly, signed by former United manager Jose Mourinho for £30million in the summer of 2016, has less than 18 months left on his contract and is not a first choice under caretaker boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. He has started just one of Solskjaer’s seven games in charge and was sent off in that. United have an option to extend the Ivorian’s deal by two years, but want to delay a decision until a new permanent manager is in place. Bailly wants to stay at United and prove himself after growing disillusioned under Mourinho. Arsenal need central defensive cover after losing Rob Holding to injury in a game at United before Christmas. Coach Unai Emery has now lost Hector Bellerin too after the right back was ruled out for the season with a knee injury. Emery knows he is limited to loan signings in this transfer window and thought he could exploit the uncertainty over Bailly’s contract. United and Arsenal are scrapping for a place in the top four of the Premier League this season and face each other in the FA Cup at the Emirates on Friday night.

A Karmo Grade 1 Area Court, Abuja, on Tuesday discharged one Shehu Adamu, docked for stealing his own car from the police station. Adamu, who resides at Utako Village, Abuja, and arraigned on a charge of theft, pleaded guilty after admitting to committing the offence. He begged the court for leniency. “I plead with this court to reduce my punishment for I know I am guilty of all the allegations,’’ he had said. The Judge, Alhaji Inuwa Maiwada, after listening to Adamu, discharged him and warned him not to commit crime again. He ordered him to sign a bond to be of good behaviour. Maiwada also ordered the police to release the car to the defendant. The Prosecuting Counsel, Mrs Ijeoma Ukagha, had told the court that one Ugochukwu Ogbonna, a Mobile Police Officer attached Utako Police Station, reported the matter at the station. “They were at a check point when the officer stopped the man to search his car and discovered that the man had no driver’s licence, and the car was later taken to the police station. “The defendant later went to the station and fraudulently took the car without the consent of the police officer that arrested him,” Ukagha said.