Manchester United defender Eric Bailly has claimed that his best time as a Red Devil came under the stewardship of the maligned Jose Mourinho.
The centre-back - who currently finds himself out on loan with French giants Marseille - arrived at Old Trafford during the Portuguese’s first summer in charge in a £30m switch from Spanish side Villarreal.
The 28-year-old immediately became first choice at the club in an impressive debut campaign that saw the Red Devils lift the Europa League and the League Cup. However, a succession of injuries saw Bailly fall rapidly down the pecking order. Mourinho was sacked only a few years later with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Ralf Rangnick and now Erik ten Hag taking the reins.
Bailly has now claimed that he was the most content as a Red Devil under Mourinho’s stewardship; the Portuguese having pushed the boat out in an effort to tempt him to Old Trafford.
Speaking with L’Equipe, the defender said: “The first contact [with Mourinho] was on the phone. I was in Abidjan when he called me, I see a Portuguese number, I don't really know, I answer, and I hear: ‘Hello, it's José Mourinho.’
“There, I had no words. We talked a bit, he knew that there were interests from several clubs in England, and for him the best way to convince me was to call me personally.
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“He told me that he had followed me for years, that he had seen me grow at Espanyol and then at Villarreal.”
Going into detail about Mourinho, Bailly has described how the Portuguese always attempted to keep standards high at Old Trafford, something that allowed him to become a better player.
He continued: “The first two seasons in Manchester were the best, they are good memories. Then there was the accumulation of injuries, and less playing time.
“Mourinho is a very demanding person, who has a lot of character. He's called the Special One and he's really special. He brought me a lot in my progress.”
Whilst Bailly recently quit United in an effort to receive more game time, it has unfortunately not panned out that way for the Ivorian. He has made just four starts in all competitions since arriving at the Stade Velodrome and was left on the bench for the last two Ligue 1 games. However, he has hinted that the opportunity to even be included in the matchday squad was reason enough to wave goodbye to the Red Devils - a deal that could be made permanent by the French club.
“The greatest happiness, it is to find the grounds, to know that I will play,” Bailly said.
