He is the kind of centre-half Manchester United have needed for quite a while, the aggressive, no-nonsense sort reluctant to take prisoners when the ball is there to be won. The type that takes pleasure from dominating forwards through a formidable physical presence, the type that no one in their right mind will look forward to facing. Not since Nemanja Vidic, in fact, have United fielded a central defender quite like Eric Bailly.

Following on from his man-of-the-match display in the Community Shield against Leicester, Bailly quickly made a mark on his Premier League debut. A mark on Josh King, too, in all likelihood. The whistle had actually sounded for another infringement a second or two before when the Ivory Coast international cleared out Bournemouth’s striker with tear-inducing force.