05 September 2023 , 09:12
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Besiktas have sealed the signing of Manchester United defender Eric Bailly as he brings to an end a rocky spell at Old Trafford.
The Ivorian defender has put pen to paper on a one-year contract with the Turkish giants, with their transfer window still open until Friday September 15. A statement from Besiktas confirmed the move on Monday evening.
It read: "Welcome to Besiktas, Eric Bailly. Our club has reached an agreement with Manchester United for the final transfer of Ivorian defender Eric Bailly. We wish Eric Bailly, who we believe will provide important services to our club, great success with our glorious jersey, and present him to the public with our respect."
The move to Istanbul brings to an end a rollercoaster stint for Bailly at Old Trafford. He was signed for £30m from Villarreal in 2016 by Jose Mourinho and was immediately the Portuguese’s first choice.
The 29-year-old made 38 appearances across his debut season as a Red Devil only for injuries to ruin the rest of his time at the club. In all, he has made just 113 outings for Man United.
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He was sent out on loan to Ligue 1 side Marseille last term and made 23 appearances but the French club declined their option to make the deal permanent. Bailly also landed himself in hot water as he called out Erik ten Hag to not favour English players, as the club had apparently done in the past.
Eric Bailly spent last season with French side Marseille (Getty Images)Should Eric Bailly be considered a flop? Share your thoughts in the comments below
Quoted by The Times, he said: "[United] should avoid favouring English players and give everyone a chance. [The club should] encourage competition in the dressing room, not just look out for some.
“I've always had the feeling that the national player was prioritised. That doesn't happen at Chelsea or other big Premier League clubs. Some people take it for granted that they are going to start, and that weakens the team. Luckily, Ten Hag has a lot of character and I hope he can change that dynamic."
Ten Hag responded to those claims before refusing to being drawn into a war of words. "I cannot say [anything] about that. I was not in charge last season," Ten Hag declared before being asked if a player's nationality would ever come into his thinking when selecting a team. "Not for me."
Following that, it was claimed that the Red Devils would have been willing to cancel the remainder of Bailly’s contract in order to facilitate a move this summer. He previously had a year left on his deal at Old Trafford.
Bailly’s chances of regular football with United always looked remote. Raphael Varane, Lisandro Martinez, Victor Lindelof and Harry Maguire were already ahead of him in the pecking order, whilst the Red Devils added Jonny Evans to the mix on deadline day.