Eric Bailly reveals he felt ‘helpless’ and ‘worthless’ during horror Man Utd spell
ERIC BAILLY has opened up about his struggles while playing for Manchester United.
He admitted that his injury issues left him feeling "helpless" and "worthless" during his time in Manchester.
Bailly formed an integral part of Jose Mourinho's Manchester United side after joining from Villarreal in 2016.
He played a key part of the side that won the Europa League in 2017, making the tournament's squad of the season.
But his struggles with injuries meant his appearances in a United shirt soon became infrequent and he remained an unwanted member of the squad until this summer - when he joined Besiktas for free.
That stay in Turkey proved to be short lived, with his contract with the club being terminated last week.
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He's now back at Villarreal, the club he left to join United in 2016 and looking to put his career back together.
Speaking to The Athletic, Bailly mentioned how when Mourinho first called him to sign for United he thought it was a prank.
He said: "A number [rang my phone]. 'It’s Mourinho', said the voice at the other end. 'Do you want to play for me at Manchester United?'
"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?
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"‘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."
The defender also opened up about how the 15 separate injuries he suffered when at United destroyed his confidence and ultimately led to United being keen to see the back of him.
"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 his injury hell, the centre-back looks back on playing for United as a positive experience, saying: "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."
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