Two years have passed since Eric Bailly left Manchester United after failing to reach expectations, but the Ivorian defender has secured a new move that means he will be playing football at a high level this season.
Manchester United signed Eric Bailly from Villarreal in a £30 million deal before the centre-back spent seven years at Old Trafford.
Bailly arrived at United as an unknown quantity, but Jose Mourinho’s first signing at the club was unable to cement a place in the team due to inconsistency and injuries.
The Ivorian suffered with many injuries throughout his United career, only managing more than 15 Premier League appearances in a single season on one occasion.
Bailly had more injury problems after leaving United following moves to Besiktas and a return to Villarreal.
After two more years at Villarreal, Bailly’s contract expired this summer, meaning he has been on the lookout for a new club.
Eric Bailly sent off against Celta Vigo
Photo by Octavio Passos/Getty Images
Eric Bailly completes transfer to Real Oviedo
Real Oviedo have announced the signing of Bailly on a two-year deal.
The 31-year-old will remain in Spain where he has already played for two clubs, after coming through the youth system at Espanyol.
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Real Oviedo are one of the newly promoted teams in La Liga, and they started the 2025/26 campaign with a 2-0 defeat against Villarreal.
Oviedo manager Veljko Paunovic will hope that Bailly’s experience can help them survive in the top flight, especially after making 113 appearances for the Red Devils.
Perhaps the biggest challenge Paunovic faces is keeping Bailly fit.
Bailly could make Oviedo debut against Real Madrid
It remains to be seen if Bailly will be thrown straight into the Oviedo line-up.
Now that the deal is complete, there is a chance Bailly makes his Oviedo debut against Real Madrid on Sunday.
That is a game Oviedo will go into as underdogs and they will need a lot more than a fully fit Bailly to come out of that game with a positive result.
Oviedo face another tricky game a week later at home to Real Sociedad.