5 signings who have become fan favourites this season
Every player seeks the approval and appreciation of the fans lining up inside the stadium and beyond. Some players receive adulation more than others, it could be due to their prodigious talent, their passion for the club or for the personality that they are for their side.
A good example of this can be seen in the Manchester United fan’s support of their former player Nemanja Vidic, whose name still rings around Old Trafford or in the case of their local rivals, Manchester City, whose fans continuously chant Sergio Aguero’s name.
While both are incredibly talented players, the former is lauded for the strength and toughness that his personality brought to the team, Aguero is revered in the blue side of Manchester for his brilliance in bringing City their first Premier League title.
Following are, in no particular order, some of the latest recruits during this summer’s transfer window who have captured the imagination of their side’s fans and have become favourites:
#1 Eric Bailly
Who would have thought that a transfer that cost upwards of £30 million would receive the least attention from the media and from the fan’s point of view amongst Manchester United’s four transfers?
Nobody expected this relatively unknown yet big money signing centre back from Villareal to immediately grab his opportunity and a spot in a defence that conceded the least goals in Premier League last year and in doing so, oust the club vice-captain, Chris Smalling from the first XI.
Not many, including his manager Jose Mourinho, thought the Ivory Coast native would have a significant impact so soon and be named August’s Player of the Month in his first month playing competitive football in a new city and a new league.
(Video Courtesy: Mathews Football YouTube Channel)
While Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Paul Pogba received most of the attention in the summer, Eric Bailly has quickly established himself as the signing of the summer for United in the long term alongside Pogba.
He has been hailed as the player to finally fill the huge hole in the United defence since the departure of Nemanja Vidic. A strong, robust tackler with the desire to win each ball in his zone, Bailly has been vital to the United squad. Just 22-years-old, Bailly has become a fan favourite and will be a crucial part of Mourinho’s squad for years to come.