Manchester United have confirmed the capture of 22-year-old defender Eric Bertrand Bailly from Spanish side Villarreal CF.
Bailly, a centre-back who made 34 appearances for the Liga BBVA outfit in 2015-16 becomes the first signing of Jose Mourinho’s reign as United manager, and is certainly a player of the correct mould for the club, given that Daley Blind spent all of Louis van Gaal’s final season as manager playing out of position in the centre of defence.
The Ivorian, who has already made 15 appearances for his national side, has cost around £20 million, with add-ons meaning the deal could eventually rise to around £30 million.
Eric is a very capable ball-playing centre-back, with good dribbling ability, agility, and intercepting – he is also a firm tackler and likes to pass the ball around.
One worry is the Ivorian’s disciplinary record, with Bailly having accumulated 9 cards last season, just under an average of one every three matches – but that could merely be a product of his youthfulness and can easily be improved upon.
Jose Mourinho can certainly be trusted with the purchase of a young defender; his previous buys include Raphael Varane for Real Madrid and Kurt Zouma for Chelsea, both of whom are exceptional talents.
