Two Manchester United players may force Erik ten Hag to rethink 7-player transfer plan

The performances of Victor Lindelof and Aaron Wan-Bissaka for Manchester United during the second half of the 2022/23 season may cause Erik ten Hag to rethink his transfer exodus policy for the upcoming window.

When Erik ten Hag was confirmed as the next Manchester United manager in April of 2022, many pondered what his starting XI would look like.

Despite fantastic performances under the previous permanent manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Aaron Wan-Bissaka had lost his starting place come the end of the 2021/22 season to Diogo Dalot, who was preferred by then-interim manager Ralf Rangnick.

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Dalot had performed admirably during 2022 and was the preferred choice once Ten Hag took his side on the 2022 pre-season summer tour, with Aaron Wan-Bissaka playing just a mere four minutes of competitive football prior to the start of the World Cup in November of that year.

Similarly, Victor Lindelof was a favourite of Solskjaer, however, had lost his place to Raphael Varane by the time Ten Hag took over – this was further compounded by the signing of Lisandro Martinez, who took the club by storm with his fantastic defensive performances alongside Varane.

It seemed as if the futures of both Wan-Bissaka and Lindelof had been written in stone – they were to be sold once the 2023 summer transfer window opened as part of a seven-man list in order to raise funds to recruit new assets.

This was, however, until injuries came into play.

Diogo Dalot returned from Qatar injured, meaning Wan-Bissaka was given his chance to impress. An assist in his first few starts coupled with some impressive general attacking play earned him plaudits, although Diogo Dalot was still seen as the superior choice.

This was until the 2023 Carabao Cup final, where Wan-Bissaka replaced Dalot in the right-back position at half-time, completely locking Allan Saint-Maximin down and putting in a display that earned him the top spot in the role once again.

Victor Lindelof had a similar storyline, with the Swede being drafted in to replace the injured Lisandro Martinez after the Argentine central defender was ruled out for the season with an ankle injury sustained in a 2-2 draw against Sevilla at Old Trafford.

Lindelof has performed admirably ever since, most notably during the FA Cup semi-final win over Brighton last month, where he helped the squad keep a clean sheet across 120 minutes of football before thumping home the winning penalty in what was an incredibly intense shootout.

With Harry Maguire on the list of players for sale combined with the release of Phil Jones and Axel Tuanzebe, United will almost certainly be dipping into the market to sign a new centre-back – and the potential for two joining the club this summer a real possibility.

Erik ten Hag is also said to want to provide new competition for Diogo Dalot with Wan-Bissaka on the “for sale” list… but these two players may well have scuppered these plans.

Wan-Bissaka’s much-improved abilities on the ball during attacking phases pose a real threat to Diogo Dalot’s status, and this is something that Erik ten Hag should look to utilise.

Lindelof’s impressive displays of late in an unorthodox left-sided centre-back position, being a right-footed defender himself, really emphasises the quality that the Swedish captain possesses, and it would be a shame to see this talent sold off in order to bring in new blood.

With greater priorities such as the squad in dire need of a new starting striker, goalkeeper, and midfielder, selling Victor Lindelof and Aaron Wan-Bissaka may not be the most efficient move for the club to make, especially considering the fact that the improved performances of these two players warrant both of them a second chance in the squad.