Former Manchester United star BANISHED from Besiktas after only 98 days

Despite only joining Besiktas in September, former Manchester United defender Eric Bailly has been barred from the squad.

Bailly, 29, joined United in a £30 million deal from LaLiga side Villarreal in 2016 under Jose Mourinho but failed to impress at Old Trafford.

He made 113 appearances for the Red Devils but did not play again until the 2021-22 season, with the Ivory Coast international spending last season on loan with Marseille before joining Besiktas in the summer.

However, his time with the Turkish giants appears to be coming to an end, with the club announcing on Monday that Bailly is one of five players who have been ‘excluded from the squad’, just 98 days after his arrival.

A 3-1 home loss to Fenerbahce on Saturday appeared to be the final straw, with Vincent Aboubakar, Valentin Rosier, Rachid Ghezzal, and Jean Onana also being sacked.

‘Information from our club,’ the club said in a statement. Five members of our Football A Team have been left out of the squad.

‘Our Football Teams General Coordinator Samet Aybaba announced that Vincent Aboubakar, Valentin Rosier, Eric Bailly, Rachid Ghezzal, and Jean Onana were dropped from the squad due to poor performance and incompatibility within the team.

‘We are still working on the new staff structure. We present it to the public with respect.’

Bailly started the match against Fenerbahce, while former Leicester City winger Ghezzal and Aboubakar, the club’s top scorer this season, came on as substitutes.

Rosier was left on the bench, while Onana was not even called up.

Besiktas has had a difficult season so far, finishing fifth in the Turkish Super Lig and guaranteed to finish bottom of their Europa Conference League group after picking up just one point from five games.

This has been coupled with rivals Fenerbahce and Galatasaray enjoying fine seasons, with both sides 14 points clear of Besiktas in the league, while they continue to make inroads in European competitions.

Meanwhile, Bailly’s departure comes amid reports that an agent has claimed to put a curse on him.

The defender – who has been ravaged by injury and made just eight appearances for Besiktas – was accused of owing a representative money over his move to Besiktas, according to The Mirror.

The report claims Bailly has received several disturbing messages from the agent, including threats of physical violence and legal action.

Following the game against Fenerbahce, in which Bailly gave away a penalty for handball, the agent allegedly told the defender that he had successfully cursed him, as one message read: ‘I am happy to see what my curse is doing to you. You are a woman, not a man. ‘You’re a huge Mickey Mouse.’

‘I will not let you f*** me in my own country,’ said another. You’ll see what happens after I file a fraud complaint against you.’

Besiktas has been informed of the problem, and the club has stated that it will notify the police, while FIFA may become involved.

Bailly’s official representative is his uncle Severin Bohui, who has reportedly stated that the abuser has no case and was not involved in the deal that brought the defender to Besiktas.