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Aaron Wan-Bissaka is arguably the hottest commodity in English football at present. The right-back has overly impressed with his performances at Selhurst Park, being named the club’s player of the season in the process. Many were even surprised when the right-back wasn’t named the PFA Young Player of the Year such has been the quality of his performances.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been chosen to oversee a massive overhaul at Old Trafford. The club and Ed Woodward are under severe pressure to improve from last year’s shambolic campaign. The signing of Daniel James was one step on that long road.
The Red Devils recently had a £40m bid rejected for the youngster, with the Eagles valuing the player closer to £65m. Reports again suggest United are preparing an improved bid for the 21-year-old.
In today’s market, this quoted fee is the norm for top quality youngsters, especially English ones. If Manchester United don’t pay it, another top club will.
Here are 3 reasons why Aaron Wan-Bissaka could be a stellar buy for Manchester United.
#3 Homegrown Talent
Since the Homegrown player rule was implemented in 2015, the recruitment of England’s top clubs has completely changed. The rule states that teams must have a minimum of eight homegrown players in a squad of 25.
Greg Dyke introduced the rule as part of a proposal to give England a better chance at winning the 2022 World Cup. To be a homegrown player, one must have been at an English club for three years before the age of 21. Not only is Aaron Wan-Bissaka homegrown, but he’s top quality for his age bracket. Aside from Trent Alexander-Arnold, there isn’t a better young full-back in world football than the 21-year-old.
At the start of the 2018/19 campaign, United confirmed a squad with 10 homegrown players. Two of those players in Romelu Lukaku and Paul Pogba might leave this summer, strengthening United’s need to purchase the homegrown Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
#2 Antonio Valencia’s time is up
In all fairness to the Ecuadorian, he was a winger before arriving at Manchester United. But most United fans would agree with me when I say this: Antonio Valencia has never been a good enough right-back for Manchester United.
Yes, Sir Alex Ferguson loved him but year after year, fans looked at the right-back position as an area to be improved in the market.
The 2018/19 campaign was perhaps the final nail in the coffin of Valencia’s United career. The 33-year-old made a total of nine appearances for the club, providing no assists or goals in that time. Valencia’s season was plagued by injuries but even when he was declared fit, new manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer refused to include him in matchday squads.
The Norwegian seems to be set on moving the Ecuadorian on, as he seeks to clear out the deadwood at Old Trafford. Hence, signing Wan-Bissaka as a long-term fix could be the way for the Red Devils.
#1 Balanced Mentality
It’s become a modern trait for full-backs to be as good going forward as much as they are defensively. The way the game has evolved has forced full-backs to almost deploy themselves as wingers in the build-up phase.
This new phenomenon was ushered in by the likes of Roberto Carlos, Ashley Cole and Dani Alves. In doing this, these idols didn’t forsake their defensive duties, they just balanced their mentality more. Aaron Wan-Bissaka has grown up watching these heroes and developed his game based on their styles.
Last season, the 21-year-old averaged 1.7 dribbles, 1.2 aerials won, 2.4 interceptions, 3.7 tackles and 3.7 clearances per game. On top of that, he was able to provide 3 assists while averaging a 73% pass accuracy. A
s you can see, the youngster is a well-rounded full-back that excels in all departments on the pitch. For far too long, Manchester United have had an incompetent right-back in Antonio Valencia, a player who doesn’t excel at either end of the pitch.
The signing of Aaron Wan-Bissaka ushers in a new and exciting era, should he don the famous red of Manchester United.
