Eric Bailly was José Mourinho’s first signing at Manchester United as the defender arrived at Old Trafford from Villarreal in 2016.
Manchester City also showed interest in the centre-back and he has now revealed the current Tottenham Hotspur manager was vital in his decision to join United over the Etihad club.
Mundo Deportivo had an opportunity to interview the 26-year-old and when asked if the Portuguese tactician influenced his decision to join the Red Devils, he talked about turning down the Citizens for United.
“In the summer of 2016 there were many rumours,” he said.
“I was in Ivory Coast, in the dining room at home with my mother when the phone rang. It was a Portuguese number; Mourinho. He told me to come with him, that he liked me since he saw me with Espanyol and Villarreal. Manchester City were also interested, but if Mourinho calls you, you can’t say no.”
Asked if he also turned down Barcelona, the Ivory Coast international explained: “You can’t say no to Barça either. It just didn’t happen because the interest was not public or so explicit.”
The Red Devils sacked Mourinho and replaced him with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in December 2018. The Norwegian will complete two years with the Premier League side next month, and the defender said the entire Manchester United dressing room is behind the current manager.
“We have known how to overcome adversity because the dressing room is with Solskjaer. 
He is a close guy who has a good relationship with everyone and understands the codes of the football player,” Bailly stressed.
“At the back, he [Solskjaer] asks for concentration and more character. There are small mistakes that have been avoided. We need to pay more attention to plays that seem of little danger and that end up costing us too much.”
