Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea has added applause to the new signing Eric Bailly’s impressive start to his Premier League career. In retrospect of the club’s thunderous start to the season, De Gea feels that the Ivory Coast defender has hugely impacted the team’s results.
Surprised by the defender settling so early in contrast to his own early days at the club, De Gea further divulged and complimented his team-mate for the traits that have seen Bailly win three Man of the Match awards out of the four games played so far.
Eric Bailly was new manager Jose Mourinho’s first signing for Manchester United after the club paid Villarreal a reported £30 million. Bailly arrived with limited experience having made just 40 combined La Liga appearances for Espanyol and Villarreal, drawing concerns and skepticism.
However, De Gea admits his performances have stunned everyone at the club.
Also Read: Eric Bailly: 10 things to know about the central defender
"Oof, [Bailly has been] a great signing," De Gea told the Daily Mail.
"Eric's come in and surprised us all very quickly. I remember when I first came to England and, trust me, it can be hard early on but he's flying.”
Regarding the defender highly for protecting his goal in front of him, De Gea highlighted a number of features that make Bailly seemingly really special. De Gea hailed his physicality, strength, technique, and his pace, all of which make a beast of a defender in a league which commands high work rate from players.
De Gea seems to be so impressed by the defender that he has also drawn comparisons of his physicality with Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. De Gea further revealed that Bailly speaks little English, however, he makes up for the same with his performance on the pitch.
Also Read: Mourinho and De Gea praise Zlatan Ibrahimovic's impact at Manchester United
De Gea continued, "He is physical, strong, technically confident and super-fast. He only speaks a little English but we have lots of Spaniards in the dressing room and Paul Pogba speaks French of course. He's a big presence and when I stand in the tunnel and look behind me, he is one of the new big, powerful players along with Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic that gives us real presence and stature this season."
Manchester United now face a crucial test on Saturday as their local rivals Manchester City visit them for the first derby of the season.
