Of the four signings Jose Mourinho made in his first transfer window at Manchester United, Eric Bailly would have comfortably been the least known among fans of the club.
The Ivorian defender arrived without the social media frenzy that was seen when each of Paul Pogba, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and Henrikh Mkhitaryan were signed, and yet 12 months on there is a case to be made for Bailly being the best bit of business of the bunch.
Inconsistency impacted both Pogba and Mkhitaryan's seasons, and while Ibrahimovic undoubtedly produced the goods, there is uncertainty as to whether or not he will return to the club. Bailly on the other hand looks like the type of player that will be sticking around for some time, and that view is shared by Arsenal legend and MOTD pundit Ian Wright.
Speaking on BeIn Sports, right expressed his jealously that Arsenal didn't sign Bailly as he outlined why he thinks he is a fantastic player.
Ian Wright on Bailly: "You can see him being at Manchester United for the rest of his career. My god, what a find. I'm jealous." #MUFC pic.twitter.com/67s81pEyCt
— Devils Latest (@Devils_Latest) June 2, 2017
You look at how good he is. Everything. Pace, athletic ability, defending, reading, strength, you think to yourself, yeah, you could see him being at United for the rest of his career.
And if he does leave it will be Barcelona or Real Madrid. He's that kind of player.
My gosh, what a find. Again, he's one of those that just makes me quite jealous that Arsenal couldn't find someone like him. It makes me jealous.
Wright is clearly a massive fan.
He's still got improvements to make, particularly in his temperament as he missed the Europa League final through an unnecessary red card, but while Mourinho is believed to still be in the market for a central defender, it's for a Bailly partner rather than more competition.
A Sky Sports graphic that emerged as they linked Raphael Varane with a move from Real Madrid to Old Trafford shows just how much better than his teammates, and indeed Varane, Bailly was from a statistical point of view last season.
United's centre-backs vs Raphael Varane.
Eric Bailly is a beast. ??? #mufc pic.twitter.com/dv3bTLKzCy— United Xtra (@utdxtra) June 2, 2017
Bailly was a good signing, now it remains to be seen what more Mourinho can do in the transfer market to get the club back challenging for the Premier League where it so badly wants to be.
