Manchester United’s Eric Bailly has revealed the personal connection that helped seal his recent move to Olympique de Marseille.
The Ivory Coast international secured a year-long move to France at the end of August after it became clear he was under the command of Erik ten Hag.
Speaking about the move, Bailly revealed to Le 10 Sport how impressed he was with the knowledge Marseille president Pablo Longoria had about him.
The defender stated that “when he called me he told me about my time at Villarreal, about all the things I did there”.
“He told me secrets that I did not expect. I said to myself: I don’t know him, but how does he know all this?
“Then he explained to me that he was a close friend of my former coach Marcelino. The conversation was fluid and easy. He made me want to come even more.”
It’s not the only thing Bailly has revealed since his loan, as earlier this week he lambasted United’s bias towards English players under previous management.
Unable to win the trust of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer or Ralf Rangnick, he was regularly overlooked in favor of not only the English players, but also Victor Lindelof and Raphael Varane.
Dissatisfied with his playing time at United, he said: “I don’t want to play every now and then. I want to do it every week and feel important. I want to get my confidence back.”
Bailly’s complaints have also previously spread to social media when he commented on a post asking him to play.
But his time in France may not have started as he hoped with just two starts in the five games since his move.
With a seemingly higher opinion of himself than his coaches, the centre-back will have to earn Igor Tudor’s opinion before he is given the consistent playing time he demands.
