Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho believes new signing Eric Bailly has “all the attributes” but admitted that he’s unsure if the defender is ready to start for the Red Devils.
Bailly became Mourinho’s first signing at Manchester United after the defender signed from Villarreal on a £30 million four-year deal.
The 22 year-old had only played 40 times in the La Liga previously but seemingly showed enough potential to warrant the big money move.
Whether he is ready to cement a starting place in the first-team is yet to be decided with the Ivorian needing to convince Mourinho of his credentials.
The club will hope the youngster can eventually fill the void left by Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic who departed three years ago.
Since then, United have failed to look convincing at the back but Mourinho thinks Bailly has all the attributes needed to be a Premier League success.
After his first press conference as United boss, the Portuguese manager revealed he was excited by Bailly’s potential.
He said: “I could compare him with some players I had previously, but I don’t want to.
“He’s a player we believe has all the attributes. Very strong and very fast. It’s not easy to find a fast player with a big body. He’s played at right back and that is good for a central defender.”
Despite being excited about the prospect, Mourinho was evidently keen to avoid putting unnecessary pressure on the youngster.
He concluded: “Is he ready? I don’t know.”
Despite being relatively unexperienced at the top level, Bailly has represented his senior national side on 15 occasions and has looked confident in some dominating La Liga performances.
In his 25 appearances for Villarreal last season, the young defender won 54% of his headed duels and 94% of his 16 attempted take-ons as he helped his club finish fourth in the league.
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