Manchester United defender Eric Bailly has revealed he turned down the chance to join Manchester City due to a phone call he received from Jose Mourinho.
Bailly whilst playing for Villarreal was considered one of the more promising young defenders in Europe and naturally a target for many of the elite clubs including City.
However, a phone call from Mourinho was enough to convince him to join the Red Devils, subsequently becoming the Portuguese tactician first major acquisition for a reported fee of £30m after succeeding Louis van Gaal at the helm.
“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,” he said, as reported by the Mirror.
“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. He really pushed for the move.
“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’s journey to England began at the academy of Spanish club Espanyol, where he graduated into a highly-rated defender, playing five games for their senior team in late 2014.
He was then spotted by Villarreal, signing him for £4.28m in January 2015, ultimately playing 47 times for the “Yellow Submarine” where his stature continued to grow.
Bailly is also a long-time admirer of Mourinho’s training methods with defenders.
“I’ve always thought Mourinho was good coaching defenders,” he said. “I used to watch Raphael Varane, saw the progression he made under Mourinho [at Real Madrid] 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.
“Players 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.”
So far this season, which has been dogged with injuries, he’s featured 32 times under Mourinho and is expected to line-up against City at the Etihad on Thursday evening.
A win for United in the Manchester derby will see them enter the top four places for the first time since last September.
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