I thought Aaron Wan-Bissaka had a brilliant game against Crystal Palace last night as not only did he defend well but he contributed to Manchester United’s attacking play. However, I will give my opinion on the right-back’s upturn in form.Β
It can be argued that Wan-Bissaka should be in the conversation about being United’s first choice right-back because in my opinion, I think that he offers United something different.
The former Palace man produced an outstanding sliding tackle on his former team-mate Wilfred Zaha deep into stoppage time, which prevented Palace from possibly winning the game 2-1.
πΈ @AWBissaka πͺ#MUFC || #CRYMUN https://t.co/ksKAVEO15T pic.twitter.com/2sSH3LHFP8
— γγ³γγ§γΉγΏγΌγ»γ¦γγ€γγγ (@ManUtd_JP) January 19, 2023
We all know about the United number 29’s defensive play, but what was encouraging in the game against Palace was how composed he looked when United had the ball at Selhurst Park, and he provided an option for United when attacking down the right as he sent in a few crosses but they were unfortunately cleared away by a Palace defender.
It has been a remarkable turn of events because before the World Cup, Wan-Bissaka, who only played four minutes of Premier League football before the finals [Transfermarkt], was not in contention to start for United as Dalot started the opening 13 Premier League games before being suspended for the fixture against Fulham [Transfermarkt], however, Wan-Bissaka has turned his career at United around as it looks as though he is in pole position to take the right-back position.
The most pleasing thing about Wan-Bissaka’s resurgence in recent weeks is that it shows how mentally resilient he is because it would have been easy for him to say to the manager, ‘I want to move on, am I free to find another club’, as there was speculation from several Premier League clubs, such as Wolves and Palace, but he got his head down and worked hard to force his way into the manager’s plans.
Wan-Bissaka’s resurgence should serve as an inspiration for those United players who are on the fringes, that if you perform well and show good attitude and application in training, then you will get your opportunities.