Manchester United's Eric Bailly has committed himself to the club for another three years with the option of a further 12 months after signing a new contract. The 27-year-old Ivory Coast international will remain at Old Trafford until at least 2024, with the potential to stay longer. As Bailly, Paul Pogba, Bruno Fernandes and rest of the Manchester squad prepared for the first leg of their Europa League semi-final against Roma, the defender told the club's website: "I'm very happy. This decision is something I didn't have to think about. "I love this club and I love playing for Manchester United. I'm happy and so are my family, everything is good. "Now the moment with my injury has passed and I'm fit and feel good, and that's it. A new contract is like a new challenge and I'm ready for this." Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was delighted to have secured Bailly on a long-term deal. Solskjaer said: "I am pleased that Eric has signed this new contract. He is still learning and improving all of the time under the coaches here. "Eric has improved his robustness since my time as manager and he will continue to play a significant part in the squad. "He possesses fantastic speed, timing of tackle and has that aggression which, of course, you need as a centre-back. He is a popular member of the squad and we look forward to continuing to work with him going forward." Bailly returned to training last week following a period of self-isolation after he contracted Covid-19 while on international duty, and has made only 15 senior appearances for the club this season.
