BAILLY Barca chased me,i thought I was signing for City, but then spoke to Mourinho and felt he REALLY wanted me
UNITED STAR ERIC ON HIS AMAZING JOURNEY TO THEATRE OF DREAMS
ERIC BAILLY goes into the Manchester derby admitting he expected to be playing for City rather than United. It was Manchester City who were making all of the running to sign Bailly before Jose Mourinho intervened and made a phone call last summer to clinch a £30million deal to take him to Old Trafford. But Bailly, 23, who was also being chased by Barcelona, admitted he thought it was a prank when his mobile rang and the voice on the other end of the line said he was Mourinho. “I was in the Ivory Coast, I got called from a Portuguese number, he introduced himself but I just didn’t believe it at first,” smiled
Bailly. “Before I came to Man United, it was City who had been watching me. In my mind, I was going there. But then everything changed, it felt like Mourinho was the one who really wanted me. He showed more interest, he rang me and that’s why I’m at Man United. “Man City contacted my agent, Barcelona as well were talking to my agent but they weren’t as interested in me as Mourinho. “Of course the club is important when you sign, but the manager is so important. If a player feels like the manager wants you, wants to sign you, it gives you extra motivation.” Bailly is a remarkable story because he did not even play for a club in his native Ivory Coast, he was spotted playing at a football academy as a teenager, scouts invited him to a tournament in Burkina Faso and then Juventus tried to sign him. But because of his lack of any football background and paperwork, Juventus could not get a work permit and he ended up going to Espanyol instead when Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino was still in charge and promoted him into the first team for a friendly tournament. “Pochettino likes hard-working young people and he helps them through, he assists them and helps them progress,” said Bailly. “Of course I will always be grateful. I saw him when we played Tottenham and we always talk and catch up. “I had no regrets about Juventus because I had such a good time in Spain, and moved on to Villarreal. I grew up watching Sergio Ramos, he was my hero. Then, there I was, playing against him twice. We beat Real Madrid 1-0 when I was at Villarreal. I could never have dreamed of that, it was incredible.” Bailly has since made a seamless transition into the Premier League and believes Mourinho has been key to his development. “I’ve always thought Mourinho was good coaching defenders,” said Bailly. “I watched Raphael Varane, and saw the progression he made under Mourinho and knew he could help me as a player. “I had some apprehension before I came to England but some of the more experienced players really helped me. People like Michael Carrick are always talking to younger players, Chris Smalling has big experience and Antonio Valencia really helped me. Wayne Rooney has been great.” Bailly has stressed the importance of United winning the Europa League as a passport into the Champions League while he admitted revenge will be on their minds in the derby after losing to City in September. “For a club the size of Manchester United, the Europa League would be a great trophy to win,” said Bailly. “It’s so important to win the Europa League if we don’t qualify for the top four. “The first game with City was not easy for me – it was my first derby – but obviously it gives me extra motivation when we play City now.”