Aaron Wan-Bissaka at Manchester United: Is it just temporary form or a sign of significant improvement?

One of the biggest conundrums for Manchester United this season has been who the second right-back in the squad should be.

This season, Diogo Dalot has been first choice for Erik ten Hag at Manchester United. The other first-team right-back in the squad is Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who was brought into the club in 2019.

Since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s sacking in November of last year, Wan-Bissaka has fallen out of favour at Old Trafford, and this season has struggled for any substantial football under Ten Hag.

Before the break for the World Cup in November, Wan-Bissaka had played just four minutes for United across all competitions this season. Those four minutes came in one game, in stoppage time against Liverpool at Old Trafford.

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He has struggled with injuries at times this season, but even then, Dalot has played in nearly every game, and Victor Lindelof and Tyrell Malacia have even played at right-back at times, ahead of Wan-Bissaka.

There were a lot of people who had written Wan-Bissaka off under Ten Hag, and, with the January transfer window fast, suggestions of a departure, be it on loan or permanently, were being made. Clubs such as Wolves, West Ham, and Wan-Bissaka’s former side Crystal Palace, were being linked with a move for him.

Wan-Bissaka’s Role After the World Cup

Since club football resumed, Wan-Bissaka has started both of United’s games, against Burnley and Nottingham Forest due to an injury to Dalot. These games were his first real opportunities in competitive football under Ten Hag.

People have been particularly concerned with his limitations going forward, and his ability on the ball. There was a belief that he would struggle in a Ten Hag system that requires such good ball-playing fullbacks who are adept at playing inverted at times, almost as an extra eight in midfield, or holding the width and being able to deliver consistent crosses for attackers in the penalty area. Dalot and Luke Shaw are both excellent examples of players who do this to a high level.

However, his performances against Burnley and Nottingham Forest were both very impressive and have gone a long way toward silencing some of his critics. Against Burnley, he registered a wonderful assist for Christian Eriksen. Wan-Bissaka managed to reach a Bruno Fernandes pass mid-air, volleying a brilliant ball into Eriksen.

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That was Wan-Bissaka’s first assist since May 13^th, 2021. It was a brilliant start for him. After that assist, he seemed to grow in confidence in the rest of the Burnley game, something which he took into Tuesday night’s game.

On the ball, Wan-Bissaka has, in the past, looked unsure, especially when there is an opportunity to progress the ball, and he would look to pass sideways or backwards as a safer option. However, this was not really an obvious issue in the previous two games. Against Forest, Wan-Bissaka attempted 18 final third passes and completed 14 (Stats Zone).

He also created 2 chances – only Fernandes and Casemiro created more for in the whole game (Stats Zone).

Wan-Bissaka’s crossing in the past two games has also been impressive. Aside from his assist against Burnley, he put in a good cross for Marcus Rashford against Forest, from which United’s number 10 had a shot blocked. He also found Casemiro in space in the penalty area in the same game, who saw his shot loop over the bar.

Wan-Bissaka has generally been overlapping well and has placed himself into some good positions down the right-hand side. This could be helped by the fact that Antony naturally prefers to cut inside on his left foot, leaving Wan-Bissaka with a lot more space to exploit out wide.

He has also looked rather comfortable in possession when he himself has inverted, and hasn’t hung onto the ball too long, instead looking to move it on quickly, without too many touches. He looked confident with the ball at his feet, too, and was looking to beat the defender ahead of him, even if at times he lost the ball, although not in a reckless way.  

One of the biggest reservations people have about Wan-Bissaka defensively is that, too often, he can get caught out of position, which leaves him needing to make a late recovery challenge to win the ball back. However, whilst his excellent ability at winning sliding tackles has also been on show, Wan-Bissaka has also demonstrated in the last two games how his positional awareness seems to have improved.

It is a real testament to the hard work from the full-back just how often he has been in a good position to prevent an attacker from exploiting space in behind by winning the ball back quickly, or showing his opponent onto their weaker foot.

What could the future hold for Wan-Bissaka?

United are rumoured to be interested in loaning a new right-back this January to be Dalot’s understudy and competitor, with Wan-Bissaka potentially leaving the club most likely on a loan deal. This begs the question – why?

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If United are genuinely interested in simply loaning out Wan-Bissaka, just to loan another player in, this doesn’t really make sense unless there is an obligation to buy the players in the respective deals. Furthermore, United don’t really have the money to spend on an elite right-back this transfer window, because any money they do have should and will likely be spent on a striker.

Wan-Bissaka’s last two performances have shown an improvement in his game, which has somewhat proved he can be a good player under Ten Hag. Whilst this is not to say he will take Dalot’s spot in the team, he has improved his game to adapt to Ten Hag’s system. He has clearly worked hard in training to improve certain aspects of his game, and this has shown now he has got two opportunities and performed well both times.

Until at least the summer, Wan-Bissaka deserves more opportunities to continue working hard, fight for his place in the side and become an important member of this Manchester United squad.