Ander Herrera, Michael Carrick and Luke Shaw have been waxing lyrical about the early-season performances of their Manchester United teammate, Eric Bailly.
Eric Bailly (R) helping to clear a corner on Friday night
In an article on the Manchester United website, Herrera, Carrick and Shaw have stated that they have been mightily impressed by the Ivorian defender, who arrived from Villarreal for £30 million to become Jose Mourinho’s first signing at Old Trafford.
Spanish midfielder Herrera said of Bailly: “He’s a beast, he’s so, so strong, he’s quick and he’s a very smart player. He doesn’t take risks, so that’s important for us because we know when we have the ball, or when he has the ball, he is not going to put the team under trouble.”
Herrera celebrating the win over Bournemouth with Marouane Fellaini
Meanwhile, United veteran Carrick believes that Bailly “seems to really enjoy defending”, a trait which among defenders is “not as common as it used to be”.
Shaw, who has returned from a horrible leg break suffered last season to become an ever-present in Mourinho’s first two Premier League matches, has liked what he’s seen from his defensive colleague.
He said: “Defensively he’s been solid, no-one’s got around him and I’m so happy that we have him here.
“He’s such a good player and from the last few games he’s a very important player for us now as well.”
Shaw made a welcome return to competitive football against Leicester City
Bailly was not a star name upon arrival in the same bracket as his contemporary United signings Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Paul Pogba, but his start to the season has been an added bonus for Mourinho.
Having put in two Man-of-the-Match performances against Leicester in the Community Shield and Bournemouth in the season opener, he put in another solid performance against Southampton on Friday night, with the Manchester Evening News giving him a rating of 7/10, and describing the 22-year-old’s performance as “accomplished”.
United fans have taken to Twitter today to mark Bailly’s impact with #BaillyIsABeast. Here is a selection of the fans’ thoughts.
The Red Devils are next in action on Saturday afternoon with a visit to Hull City. If you had said two weeks ago that United versus Hull would be a top-of-the-table clash, you’d have been laughed out of Salford, but a top-of-the-table clash it is with both sides having won their opening two matches.
The match will have added significance as it represents Mike Phelan’s return to Old Trafford. Hull’s caretaker manager was Sir Alex Ferguson’s assistant manager at Old Trafford, and returns to the Theatre of Dreams taking charge of a Hull side that has 13 fit players.
Mike Phelan masterminding his side to a 100% start to the season
Imagine how much more Hull could have beaten Swansea by if they had a full squad?
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