Sidney Sladen
Eric Bailly Reveals Why He Joined Manchester United
Manchester United defender Eric Bailly has revealed that Manchester City were the club who initially made contact regarding his availability and he chose Manchester United because the Red Devils contacted him directly through Jose Mourinho.
Mourinho Factor
Bailly joined Manchester United in a £30 million deal last summer and expressed his delight about it back then. However, Bailly has now admitted that he had the option to choose either of the Manchester Clubs and he chose the Red side because of Jose Mourinho.
Bailly was quoted by The Sun: “Manchester City were interested in me, but it was United who contacted me directly – in the form of Jose Mourinho himself. He is one of the best managers in the world, he wanted me to join United and I accepted. I was at a good Spanish club in Villarreal, but when a team as prestigious as Manchester United makes you an offer it is hard to say no. That is despite the fact I had not planned to leave Villarreal so soon, and I knew I would get less playing time at United. But I knew that I would improve under a coach like Mourinho, and with teammates such as Wayne Rooney, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Juan Mata.”
The 22-year-old made an impressive start to his Old Trafford career before suffering knee ligament damage last October. He has since returned to help United win the EFL Cup.
Eric continued: “They are players who have won lots of trophies but are still hungry for more. They are true examples of professionalism, and I draw great inspiration from them. And despite everything I have played 27 games for United in all competitions.”
Ivory Coast international Bailly also said he meets and takes advice from City icon Yaya Toure, as well as picking the brains of City’s out-on-loan striker Wilfried Bony.
He added: “I meet up with Yaya Toure on rare occasions, and we are in contact with one another. He gives me advice. Didier Drogba and Wilfried Bony do so as well, and the advice I get from them all is invaluable.”
Bailly also spoke about the club’s ambitions and future plans and insisted that the team were focused on achieving success on the European stage.
“At United we aim to win the Europa League and to qualify for next season’s Champions League. It will be very hard to win the Premier League, but it would be great if we can achieve those other two objectives,” he said.
He also drew comparisons between the English league and the Spanish league and said that the in Spain, the game is more about skill than physicality and in England, it is the other way round.
“The Spanish and English leagues are the two best competitions in the world. The game in Spain is more skilful. But it is more physical in England. The games are incredibly intense for 90 non-stop minutes.”
He also expressed his delight in playing for good clubs like Espanyol and said that the club spotted him when he was a 16-year-old. He also described his move to Manchester United as beautiful.
Bailly continued: “I have always dreamt about playing for a good club. I moved to Spain thanks to Espanyol, who spotted me in a tournament in Burkina Faso when I was 16. It was all new for me at the start, living away from my parents, but I dug in. Villarreal signed me after going to Barcelona to watch me, and now I am at Manchester United. It is truly beautiful what has happened with me.”
The fact that the Ivorian has chosen to join Manchester United instead of City highlights his ambition and mentality as a player.
It looks like the Eric Bailly very well knows the history better!
