Ex-Man Utd man admits he felt ‘helpless’ and ‘worthless’ at Old Trafford; describes ‘hallucinating’ | OneFootball

Eric Bailly smiles after a Premier League match.

Former Man Utd defender Eric Bailly felt “helpless” and “worthless” during some of his time at Old Trafford after being hit by injuries.

The Ivory Coast international left the Red Devils in September for Besiktas but has already left for Spanish side Villarreal after the Turkish side terminated his contract in December.

Bailly joined Man Utd from Villarreal for £30m in 2016 but he never lived up to expectations during his seven years at Old Trafford, making 113 appearances in all competitions.

The 29-year-old, who was hit by a number of injuries at Man Utd, has revealed how former Red Devils boss Jose Mourinho convinced him to sign for the Premier League club.

“A Portuguese number [rang my phone]. ‘It’s Mourinho’, said the voice at the other end. ‘Do you want to play for me at Manchester United?’,” Bailly told The Athletic.

“I felt like I was hallucinating. I thought it was a guy just trying to annoy me, to make a joke. Who believes Mourinho is calling them?

“I said he needed to prove it was him by calling on video. This is what he did. It was Mourinho and he said he wanted me to go to Manchester. I did. I signed for the biggest club in the world.”

On how he felt during his injury woes at Man Utd, Bailly added: “You feel helpless because you can’t change anything when you’re injured.

“You don’t want to feel worthless but that’s exactly what you feel. You want to get back training but at the biggest clubs there’s huge competition.”

Despite picking up 15 separate injuries, Bailly insists his Man Utd team-mates helped him enjoy his time at Old Trafford, he continued: “I got on with the boys I played with.

“I saw a lot of Victor Lindelof. He lived one minute from my house and spoke Spanish. Harry Maguire was tranquil. I’m glad he’s playing well now; he’s a strong character and he had a difficult time with the English media.

“Cristiano Ronaldo returned, the legend coming back. He was the best player in the world for me. Even when he returned, Cristiano contributed a lot to the club and a player like Cristiano deserves to feel important. It’s a shame he left in the circumstances he did.”

Manchester United Eric Bailly