It is fair to say Manchester United's recruitment in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era has been underwhelming. Some might consider that an understatement.
The Red Devils have spent well over £1bn since 2013.
Yet in that period, they have finished outside the top 4 on five occasions – David Moyes, Louis Van Gaal, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and Erik ten Hag have all been trusted to bring in their players. For the majority, it just hasn't worked.
Of all these managers though, Jose Mourinho was the one responsible for spending the most on transfers during his reign between 2016-2018.
According to figures collated by Sky Sports, 'The Special One' oversaw £430 million of expenditure on 12 players, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Matej Kovar being free transfers, fees were only actually spent on 10 players, making the statistic all the more extraordinary.
Despite such a significant outlay, only two of the Portuguese manager's signings remain at the club.
The most recent departure was once described as being a "rash" player and one who cost the club a total of £55m in transfer fees and wages.
That is despite barely making a century of appearances for the club.
We are, of course, talking about the enigma that is Eric Bailly.
What happened to Eric Bailly at Man Utd?
Bailly joined the club from Villarreal in 2016 as part of Mourinho's first transfer window at the club. He was the second signing of the new era, following the arrival of mercurial striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
The Ivorian arrived at the club with much fanfare. At just 22 years old, many tipped Bailly to be a massive success at the club.
Former Arsenal and Man City legend Kolo Toure, speaking to The Sun (via the United Review), stated that Bailly had the ability to "become one of the best defenders in the world."
"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 added.
Those were some big words that heaped pressure on the defender. However, he endeared himself to the United faithful immediately after wrestling the rowdy Jamie Vardy off the pitch on his debut.
His performance that day helped United to win the Community Shield. That would be the first of three trophies Bailly would help his side secure that season, along with the EFL Cup and the Europa League.
In his debut season, Bailly appeared 39 times in all competitions and cemented himself at the heart of United's back four. This would turn out to be as good as it got for him, though. The following season, he made fewer than half the number of appearances. As the years went on, he would be featured more and more sparingly. In his final full season at the club, Bailly made just 7 appearances.
His hat-trick of silverware from his first season was also the last for him, as he was never able to add to his trophy cabinet for the remainder of his time at the club.
A loan spell in 2022 to Marseille didn't work out, and he has finally moved away permanently, joining Besiktas on a free transfer this summer.
What went wrong for Eric Bailly?
The reasons why Eric Bailly did not have a successful Manchester United career are varied.
One simple reason was the fact that the centre-back was very injury-prone.
According to Transfermarkt, he was out of action with injury for 566 days during the entirety of his Old Trafford tenure – during this period, he is believed to have missed 126 games for club and country.
These injuries would not only have prevented him from playing but also hindered his development. Joining the club in his early twenties meant that he had untapped potential and time to develop. However, spending too much of that time on the sidelines meant Bailly was unable to develop his game and reach the heights some predicted for him.
Others believe that Bailly's biggest downfall was his own performances. While he had the tendency to do something absolutely miraculous, like beating multiple Chelsea players with stepovers in his own penalty area, he also had another side that led to calamity.
Following what turned out to be Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's final home game as manager of The Red Devils, Bailly was criticized for being "a rash defender who always has a mistake in him" by Trevor Sinclair. He was also labelled as the "culprit" for both goals following "bad, bad defending."
The defender himself believed that the reason he wasn't able to achieve success at United was due to the focus on homegrown and British talent within the club.
He stated, "The club should avoid favoring English players and give everyone a chance." This assessment did not go down well, with Jamie Carragher responding, saying that Bailly wasn't being picked due to his own poor performances.
How much did Eric Bailly cost Man United?
United paid Villareal £30m to secure Bailly's services back in 2016. He signed a contract worth £80k-per-week, based on the figures put together by the experts at Capology,
Bailly earned over £4m per year on his salary alone. This meant that throughout his time as a Man United player, Bailly received roughly £25m in wages. This means that the combined total was £55m.
The £30m The Red Devils spent on Bailly makes him their sixth most-expensive defender in history. At the time of his arrival, he was the most expensive defender the club had ever bought.
Bailly only featured 113 times for the Old Trafford side during his 6 years in the squad. As a result, the amount of money he earned per game is staggering.
Bailly Appearances
Weekly Wage
Total Earnings
Earnings per Appearance
113
£80,000
£24.6m
£217,700
Through earning close to £25m in wages over his 113 games, Bailly amassed a whopping £217,700 per appearance for the club. That is more per game than most of his teammates' weekly salary.
Not only that, but Bailly also made close to £6.5m in his 566 days out with injury. That accounts for just over a quarter of the 29-year-old's total earnings during his stay in Manchester.
This, of course, does not include any bonuses that Bailly would have been entitled to, which would have inflated the price further.
How much did Man United spend on Bailly's replacements?
Whilst responding to Bailly's claims that English players experienced preferential treatment at Manchester United, Jamie Carragher mentioned that the club "keep buying players to replace him."
Since The Ivory Coast international's arrival, United have bought 5 other central defenders. Of the five of them, four cost the club more than Eric Bailly did. Jonny Evans' return to the club in 2023 is the only exception.
In total, United have spent over £200m on central defenders since Eric Bailly's arrival. That is a staggering amount to replace someone that many believed had world-class potential.
Victor Lindelof
2017
£31m
Harry Maguire
2019
£80m
Raphael Varane
2021
£34m
Lisandro Martinez
2022
£56.7m
Jonny Evans
2023
Free
How much do other Man United defenders make?
Despite being a record-breaking transfer when he signed, Bailly left United with the second-lowest wage of all defenders in the first team.
Only Tyrell Malacia earned less than his former teammate, with the Dutch full-back earning £75k-per-week.
United's two primary right-backs Diogo Dalot and Aaron Wan Bissaka, are the only other two defenders earning under six figures per week, clocking in at £85k and £90k respectively.
Lisandro Martinez and Victor Lindelof are both on £120k per week, with Luke Shaw ahead of them earning £150k-per-week.
The club's record defender and former captain Harry Maguire is the second highest-paid defender at the club, making a little less than £200k-per-week.
It is multiple-time Champions League winner Raphael Varane who leads the way. His staggering £340k per week is a 325% increase on what Bailly's wages were as he departed the club.