Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has revealed his delight after Eric Bailly extended his stay with his side.
The Ivory Coast international recently signed a new contract with the Red Devils this month, which will see him continue his stay with the club until 2024.
Bailly has been in talks with United for a new deal for about a month and was believed not to be happy at the Old Trafford due to lack of game time.
He was subsequently linked to a number of Serie A and La Liga sides but put an end to the speculation when he put pen to paper on a new deal.
Solskjaer has praised the defender, who recently recovered from coronavirus, for his decision and lauded him for his contribution to the club.
“Eric's been showing he is more and more resilient, more robust,” Solskjaer said in a pre-match press conference.
“With Covid, nothing can be guaranteed there so that was a disappointment but I think he's shown this season that he's maturing, developing, and getting better.
“We want to get the best out of Eric. He's a very highly regarded member of our squad. The boys love him, he's got such a good heart.
“His performances when he plays, he never lets us down. He's a heart on the sleeve kind of guy. You know you'll get blocked tackles and aggression as a defender should do.
“He's improving with the ball, he's improving his build-up play. I'm very pleased he's going to stay.”
Bailly has been with the Red Devils since the summer of 2016 when he teamed up with the Premier League giants from La Liga side Villarreal.
The defender has subsequently made more than 100 appearances across all competitions for United since his arrival.
In the current campaign, he has been limited to 15 games, including eight in the Premier League, due to a number of factors.
The 27-year-old will hope to feature when Manchester United take on AS Roma in a Europa League game on Thursday night.