Eric Bailly swiftly put an embarrassing spell with Turkish Süper Lig club Beşiktaş behind him by moving back to La Liga the day after his release.
The former Manchester United defender made just eight appearances for the Black Eagles after signing in September this year. He was released on Friday having been excluded from the squad alongside four others for poor performance, a move his agent said violated his rights.
He then joined United for a reported fee of £30m. He was named in the Squad of the Season when the Red Devils won the 2016/17 Europa League, having won the League Cup earlier the same year.
He was eventually loaned to Marseille and then sold to Beşiktaş in September, and has not been named in the Ivory Coast squad for the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations.
Having finished fifth last season Villarreal are struggling somewhat in 2023/24, sitting 13th after 18 matches. They next travel to Valencia on January 2nd.
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