Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho insists that defender Eric Bailly has all the attributes to succeed at Old Trafford.

The 22-year-old became Mourinho’s first signing as the new manager of the Reds after completing his move from Villarreal on a four-year contract.

The Ivory Coast international  is something of an unknown quantity to many fans in the UK but Mourinho knows all about his abilities, reports the Manchester United website.

‘I could compare him with some players I’ve had previously but I don’t want to do it because obviously, the other boys play for other clubs,’ Mourinho said.

‘But he is a player who we believe has all the attributes. He is very strong physically and very fast. It’s not so easy to find a fast player when you have quite a big body, he’s a heavy guy, a tall boy who’s really fast. ‘

The Portuguese manager accepts his new signing could take some time to adapt to life in the Premier League.

‘He comes from a Spanish culture where the first phases are important so technically he’s very good. For some periods, he played right-back and, because playing in the right-back position demands more from an attacking point of view, it’s good for a centre-back to play some periods as a right-back,’ he added.

‘My only question mark at the moment is one I have to help him delete – the question mark of someone who has never played at such a big club with so many responsibilities and so many expectations.

‘So is Eric ready to come here and start performing from day one? I don’t know. It is a question mark but my job is to delete that question mark as soon as possible and give him the stature, brain, and personality to play for Manchester United.’

Bailly has made 47 appearances for the Yellow Submarine, having joined the club in January 2015, while also featuring in all six of Ivory Coast 2015 Afcon matches en route to lifting the trophy.