Bailly's The Pride Of Ivory Coast

Ivory Coast legend Kolo Toure has claimed the whole of his country is proud of compatriot Eric Bailly following the 22-year-old’s excellent start to life at Manchester United.

Bailly moved to Old Trafford from La Liga side Villarreal in the summer and hit the ground running under Jose Mourinho’s management, winning the Man of the Match award from three of his first four matches before fans voted him the club’s Player of the Month for August.

Toure, who is currently playing for Celtic in Scotland, knows Bailly extremely well after they formed a successful centre-back partnership when Ivory Coast won the Africa Cup of Nations in 2015.

The former Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool defender retired from international football immediately after that triumph but he will watch the Elephants when they face Mali on Saturday night. The 35-year-old will pay particular attention to his friend Bailly following his recent ascension with the Reds.

“Eric started brilliantly and the whole of our country is really, really happy and we are all really proud of him,” Toure recently told United Review, the official match programme at Old Trafford. “We knew before his transfer that he has great quality because he was playing with Villarreal, but it takes a lot to play for a big club like United and do what he’s doing right now.

“We are so proud that he is playing for a big club in the best league in the world, playing in tough games against tough strikers. He has been outstanding overall and that shows the quality the boy has. We are all really proud of what he’s doing right now, and we just pray he carries on.”

Toure is confident that Bailly can become a huge player for the club going forward, following his fine start with the Reds. “He’s a really composed, calm boy who knows what he’s here for,” said Kolo. “He’s here to play football and he’s really enjoying his time in Manchester with his family. You can tell that just from the way he’s playing! He’s enjoying the city and he’s a really good boy. He’s tall, technically very good, has brilliant vision and he’s really calm. That calmness is the most powerful attribute he’s got.

“He can be a big, big player for United,” the 35-year-old continued. “He can be the future for United. What he’s doing right now is amazing and I think his future is really, really bright. He can be up there with the top defenders United have had. He’s young and will learn from working with one of the best managers in the world, and of course he’s going to get better. Definitely. He will improve and if he learns from Jose Mourinho then he can become one of the best defenders in the world.”