Eric Bailly made his debut for Manchester United in their friendly against Wigan Athletic and looks set to be a defensive mainstay under Jose Mourinho. However, this could signal an exit for Marcos Rojo, who is now being courted by Bailly’s former club Villarreal.
Jose Mourinho’s first ever Manchester United signing was in action earlier this week against Championship side Wigan in a pre-season friendly. Eric Bailly looked impressive in the 82 minutes that he was on the pitch and the £30 million signing from Villarreal received special praise from his manager.
The Red Devils pulled off a 2-0 victory over Wigan thanks to goals from their young stars Will Keane and Andreas Pereira. After the match, Mourinho was full of praise for debutant Bailly, saying that he had what it takes to become a top player and promising to help him become the very best.
“With Eric, the way the fans showed how much they liked his performance when I changed him is enough,” said Mourinho, according to the Mirror. “Of course, he’s a very young boy coming from a completely different environment, but you could see what he is at this moment.”
The Portuguese manager stressed on the importance of playing time, so that the former Villarreal defender could improve upon his communication with team-mates.
“I will give him everything to try to make him better and better, like I did with other central defenders I’ve had in my hands. Like, for example, [Raphael] Varane, and I will try to make him the best I can,” Mourinho said.
“He’s shown the potential we saw when we decided to buy him. He has the potential to become one of the best around.”
Bailly could go on to become one of Jose Mourinho’s key signings for Manchester United. His pace, physical prowess and attacking mentality are attributes that Mourinho wants in his centre-back pairing. The 22-year old Ivorian only made 40 La Liga appearances before joining Manchester United, but is likely to be a member of the Red Devils’ starting eleven when the season begins in August.
Villarreal interested in Rojo to replace Eric Bailly
Villarreal finished fourth in last season’s La Liga, and will be on the hunt for some clever signings to help them compete in the UEFA Champions League in 2016-2017. Given Eric Bailly’s departure, one of the key areas they will be looking to recruit in is defence.
According to Spanish publication Marca, the Yellow Submarine are interested in signing Argentine defender Marcos Rojo, who played alongside Bailly in the Red Devils’ friendly against Wigan. The 26-year old defender made 53 appearances for Manchester United over two seasons, playing in both the centre-back and left-back positions. However, the Argentine doesn’t figure in new manager Jose Mourinho’s plans and a move away is on the cards.
The Red Devils want to recoup most of the €20 million they spent on acquiring Rojo from Sporting Lisbon two seasons ago. This figure is not acceptable to Villarreal, and the two clubs are looking to negotiate a loan deal as Manchester United would like to get Rojo off their wage bill. The fact that the Argentine was primarily a centre-back even though Louis van Gaal used him at left-back means that he would be a like-for-like replacement for Bailly.
