Eric Bailly: Former Man United man finds new club

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Eric Bailly: Former Man United man finds new club

Eric Bailly: Former Man United man finds new club

The Peoples Person

Sat, Jul 18, 2026 ·

2 min read

United career

The Ivory Coast international joined Manchester United in the summer of 2016 from Villarreal in Spain .

He played for six seasons at Old Trafford, but his career was blighted by constant injuries.

As a result, he played just 113 times for the club, scoring a solitary goal.

Bailly was loaned out to Olympique de Marseille in the 2022-2023 season and left the club permanently in 2023 when he joined Beşiktaş.

The defender returned to Spain in the winter of 2024 to his former side Villarreal, but managed just 25 matches in a season and a half.

He left for Real Oviedo last season but again only managed to play in 15 matches.

New club

The central defender has found himself a new club for the upcoming season, as he has gone to Major League Soccer in the United States of America.

Columbus Crew have announced on their official website , "The Columbus Crew have acquired free agent defender Eric Bailly, who most recently played for Spain's Real Oviedo and possesses 12 seasons of experience combined between La Liga and the English Premier League."

He has signed a deal until June 2027, but there is a club option for the next two seasons, until 2029.

Crew General Manager Issa Tall asserted, "we are excited to welcome Eric to Columbus. His experience at the highest levels of the game, combined with his defensive quality, leadership, and composure, will strengthen our backline and have an impact on our roster."

He continued, "Eric brings a winning mentality and valuable experience that will benefit our group both on and off the field. We look forward to integrating him into the team as we continue pushing toward our goals in the second half of the season."

United career

New club

Eric Bailly career stats