Man United right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka is enjoying an unexpected career revival at Old Trafford.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka (Image: Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images)
Aaron Wan-Bissaka is unlikely to feature in many headlines in the wake of Manchester United’s derby day win over Manchester City.
The vast majority of them will be dedicated to United’s huge slice of luck in their controversial equaliser, as well as their excellent comeback. Marcus Rashford’s game-winning goal, Alejandro Garnacho’s fearlessness, Fred’s endless energy, Casemiro’s class, Raphael Varane’s superb performance up against Erling Haaland and those budding hopes of a Premier League title challenge will claim any space still left.
With so many great performances and so much controversy to discuss, it’ll be easy for Wan-Bissaka’s display to go under the radar. But it really shouldn’t.
With Diogo Dalot suffering a further injury set-back, Wan-Bissaka was given another start in Saturday’s Manchester derby – just his sixth of the season. While the right-back has been putting in promising displays, his inclusion sparked some anxiety.
Wan-Bissaka was dismal when he came up against City last season as he was targeted as a weak link and ended up being culpable for three of the six goals United conceded across two games. Not to mention the several blunders he committed throughout the campaign which eventually saw him lose his place under Ralf Rangnick.
He hadn’t exactly had the toughest of tests in his starts this season, either, with his return to the side seeing him come up against Nottingham Forest, Wolves, Bournemouth, Burnley and Charlton. Facing City and their wealth of attacking talent is a much tougher challenge.
But Wan-Bissaka passed his latest test with flying colours. He was tasked with marking the livewire Phil Foden and nullified his impact to the extent he was hooked after 55 minutes. His replacement, Jack Grealish, did score but there was little he could do to stop his header as he had moved to cover the more obvious aerial threat from Haaland.
Otherwise, it was a secure display from the right-back who rarely let an attacker get past him. He was also a rare threat going in the other direction, too, with good cross-field distribution and seemingly more confidence on the ball. One passage of play saw him wriggle out of pressure from three opponents before recycling possession and eventually getting back to have a shot on goal.
Doubts rightly remained over whether Wan-Bissaka still had a future at Old Trafford, despite his improvement, but to play so well against a side that has caused him problems in the past certainly makes it seem like he does.
It has been a remarkable turnaround for the 25-year-old. His fate appeared to be set in stone before Erik ten Hag even arrived as it was apparent Dalot remained first choice and United were trying to recruit a new right-back in the summer. They failed in those efforts so Wan-Bissaka remained.
He hardly played for the first half of the season with an injury keeping him sidelined but it’s unlikely his minutes would have been much more even with a clean bill of health. Yet, with Dalot now injured he is proving to be dependable cover and now an actual contender for the spot even when the Portuguese is available.
Wan-Bissaka’s revival couldn’t have come at a better time for United. Not only has it been a massive help given Dalot’s fitness struggles since the World Cup but it has also allowed them to focus their efforts in the transfer market.
There were rumblings the former Crystal Palace man could have left United on loan in January with United looking for another right-back to take his place. But Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure meant a new striker soon became the priority.
Then Wan-Bissaka’s new-found form lessened the need for a new right-back to be signed and allowed all energies to be focussed on getting in the attacking reinforcements – which was achieved with the signing of Wout Weghorst.
If Wan-Bissaka continues in this direction, he may realise his potential and transfer fee after all.
Source: dailylifeworld.com
