Official: Former United defender with “winning mentality” completes exciting move to MLS club

Former Manchester United star Eric Bailly has found a new club. 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.” Adding to the Black & Gold backline ➕⚔️ The Columbus Crew have acquired 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. 📰: https://t.co/2f7Cw8dw7z pic.twitter.com/KoT3IZIDgP — The Crew (@ColumbusCrew) July 17, 2026 Eric Bailly career stats ClubGames playedGoalsYears active Espanyol502014 Villarreal4712014-2016 Man United11312016-2023 Marseille (loan)2302022-2023 Besiktas802023-2024 Villarreal2502024-2025 Real Oviedo1512025-2026 Source: Wikipedia The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Alex Browne Alex is a huge Manchester United fan, inspired by greats of his homeland such as George Best, Harry Gregg and Norman Whiteside. Alex has a Master’s degree from Queen’s University Belfast and La Universitat Rovira i Virgili in Tarragona, Spain. Having lived in the country since 2011, Alex is The Peoples Person’s Spanish football expert and is fluent in both Spanish and Catalan. He dreams of witnessing a United captain triumphantly hoisting the Premier League and Champions League trophy in the air once more.