West Indies cricket legend Chris Gayle labelled Leon Bailey a ‘star athlete’ on Instagram after Aston Villa’s 3-1 win over Manchester United on Sunday.
The Villa winger scored the first goal of the Unai Emery reign, which started with a deserved three points, and also saw the Midlands side win their first game against Man United on home soil in the Premier League since 1995.
That’s some start for the 51-year-old, who has another test against the same opposition coming up on Thursday night in the EFL Cup at Old Trafford.
It will be interesting to see how that game starts because, on Sunday, the home team were out of the blocks from the get-go, not letting Man United breathe.
Bailey was unplayable in the first half and he danced on the ball like the big-money signing fans were expecting to see when he first arrived.
When the Jamaica international stated on Instagram that he ‘loves scoring in front of the Holte End’, several players responded to his post in the comments.
As well as being praised by Chris Gayle, his fellow teammate Jan Bednerak added ‘what a player’, whilst his stepdad Craig Butler told him ‘we dreamt about this day’.
BAILEY COOKING SINCE GERRARD’S EXIT
It just goes to show when you put a player in his natural position, whether it’s out wide, or in the case, on Sunday, as a striker, he will produce the goods.
Under Steven Gerrard, Bailey was way too narrow and he wasn’t provided with the space to dance with the ball, because when he does, the opposition hate playing against him.
Even during Villa’s 4-0 defeat to Newcastle last week, he was one of the very few positives.
But with Emery now in the dugout, it wouldn’t be a surprise if a player like Bailey is the one who benefits most because he’s the Spaniard’s type of player.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
