David de Gea has expressed his delight at seeing Eric Bailly make a return to action for Manchester United against Huddersfield Town.
The Ivorian has been sidelined since November with ankle ligament damage and underwent surgery in December.
He was included in the squad for the first time since a 1-0 defeat to Chelsea during the closing stages of a comfortable 2-0 win over David Wagner’s men.
And De Gea, who was handed a rest on Saturday, took to social media to hail the return of such an important player.
Is back! @ericbailly24
— David de Gea (@D_DeGea) February 17, 2018
At a time when the ship needs to be steadied ahead of crucial games on both a domestic and continental front, Bailly’s return will be salutary.
He engenders a sense of brutal organisation and defensive execution, a desire to not just dispossess an opponent but leave them flat on the floor, bruised and gasping for air. That ferocious edge was certainly miserably absent at Wembley and St James’ Park.
Whether he gets the nod to start – or even feature – against Sevilla in Wednesday remains to be seen. Mourinho will not want to risk losing him to any further knocks just after getting him back. But supporters will feel much better knowing the 23-year-old is back in the mix.