9 things to know about Manchester United's new signing Aaron Wan-Bissaka

Wan-Bissaka is officially a Manchester United player
Wan-Bissaka is officially a Manchester United player

Manchester United have officially completed their second signing of the transfer window, with Aaron Wan-Bissaka arriving for a sum of £50m.

The 21-year-old would help strengthen the most problematic position at Manchester United over the last few years, as the club starts its arduous climb back up the top of the Premier League.

While there might be more obvious facts such as his age and playing position, his relatively modest career till this point means that not much else is known about Aaron Wan-Bissaka.

In this piece, we shall be presenting nine lesser-known facts about Manchester United's newest signing.

#1 He represented Congo at youth level

- Wan-Bissaka now represents the England U-21 side
- Wan-Bissaka now represents the England U-21 side

Aaron Wan-Bissaka was born on 26 November 1997 in Croydon England to Elizabeth and Ambrose Wan-Bissaka who are Congolese migrants that settled in England.

As a result, their son was eligible to play either for the Democratic Republic of Congo through his father's nationality or England through his place of birth.

He turned out for the Democratic Republic Congo Under 20 team in an 8-0 loss to England U-17 in October 2015 and to date, this remains his only appearance for the Central African side.

The 21-year-old has gone on to represent England at Under 20 and Under 21 levels and despite representing Congo at the youth stage remains eligible for a senior appearance for either of the two countries due to the fact that he has not represented DRC in a competitive fixture.

#2 He was a boyhood Manchester United fan

Baby Aaron Wan-Bissaka on his mother's knee in his Man Utd shirt Credit: Jamie McPhilimey - The Sun
Baby Aaron Wan-Bissaka on his mother's knee in his Man Utd shirt Credit: Jamie McPhilimey - The Sun

This is sure to come as good news to the Old Trafford faithful, as photos have emerged of Wan-Bissaka donning a Manchester United jersey as a toddler.

In photos released courtesy The Sun, Aaron Wan-Bissaka can be seen sitting in his mother's lap sporting an iconic Manchester United jersey and baby Aaron sure went on to fulfill a childhood ambition.

#3 Despite his meteoric rise, he still maintains a low profile in the community where he grew up

He is an established Premier League right-back
He is an established Premier League right-back

It is safe to say that Aaron Wan-Bissaka's rise to the top in the last one year has been nothing short of meteoric, as he has gone from Crystal Palace academy player to completing a move to Manchester United for £50m.

Even after growing into superstardom, Aaron Wan-Bissaka admitted to the Guardian in an interview that he still takes out time to visit his New Addington neighborhood in Croydon and poses for photographs and autographs with school children.

#4 He is nicknamed 'Spider' was addicted to football while growing up

Aaron Wan-Bissaka was addicted to football from a young age photo credit: The Sun
Aaron Wan-Bissaka was addicted to football from a young age photo credit: The Sun

In an exclusive first interview with Manchester United's official website moments after being unveiled, Wan-Bissaka admitted that he was given the nickname of Spider and stated that it came about due to the extra length of his legs when going in for tackles and challenges.

England U-21 star Aaron Wan-Bissaka broke this glass as a kid because he would not stop playing football even after he went inside Credit: Jamie McPhilimey - The Sun
England U-21 star Aaron Wan-Bissaka broke this glass as a kid because he would not stop playing football even after he went inside Credit: Jamie McPhilimey - The Sun

Photos also emerged of him playing football as a child and there are pictures of furniture which were reportedly broken by Wan-Bissaka while playing football in the living room. His parents would surely not be complaining about a few broken Vases now.

#5 He was the lowest paid player at Crystal Palace last season

Wan-Bissaka earned just 10,000 pounds at Crystal Palace
Wan-Bissaka earned just 10,000 pounds at Crystal Palace

Having only made his debut in February 2018, it came as no surprise to find out that Wan Bissaka was earning the modest sum of £10,000 every week.

This figure made him the lowest paid player in Roy Hodgson's first team and indeed one of the lowest paid in the entirety of the Premier League but seeing as he has completed a mega move to Manchester United, the 21-year-old's status is bound to change with the fame and fortune that comes with being a United player.

Details of his contract have emerged and revealed that he is set to earn the sum of £80,000 weekly which is eight times what he was paid at Crystal Palace.

#6 He played as a forward during his time in the Crystal Palace academy

Aaron Wan-Bissaka modeled his game after Thierry Henry as a youngster
Aaron Wan-Bissaka modeled his game after Thierry Henry as a youngster

In the same aforementioned exclusive interview with Manchester United's official website, Aaron admitted to having played as a forward during his younger years and stated that he tried to model his game after Arsenal legend Thierry Henry while also maintaining an admiration for Brazilian icon Ronaldinho.

#7 A game against Wilfried Zaha during training in 2016/2017 saw him converted to a right-back

A wonderful performance in training saw him converted to a right-back
A wonderful performance in training saw him converted to a right-back

Having started his youth career as a forward, his former Under 23 coach at Crystal Palace Richard Shaw stated to Sky Sports that Aaron was asked to fill in at right-back during a training session in 2016/2017.

He was put up against none other than Wilfred Zaha who is Crystal Palace's star player and one of the most talented forwards in the Premier League.

However, a then 19-year-old Wan-Bissaka largely held his own and the coaches were significantly impressed and tried him out in a wing-back position and the rest, as they say, is history.

#8 He was named Palace Young Player of the Season only three months after making his professional debut

Crystal Palace v Manchester United - Premier League
Crystal Palace v Manchester United - Premier League

As stated earlier, Aaron Wan-Bissaka made his debut for Crystal Palace on February 25, 2018, due to a string of injuries sustained by first team regulars and the 21-year-old went on to star in all but two minutes of the four league matches played in March.

Rather impressively, he was named Crystal Palace Player of the month of March just a few weeks after making his first team debut and was named the Palace Young Player of the Year just two months later despite only playing seven first-team matches.

At the end of his first full season in 2018/2019, Aaron Wan-Bissaka had seen his status rise and he was deservedly named the club's Player of the Season.

#9 He posted very impressive numbers in his first full season with Crystal Palace

He won the third most tackles in the Premier League
He won the third most tackles in the Premier League

Having cemented his reputation with his displays at the end of the 2017/2018 season, Aaron entered the just-concluded campaign as The Eagles undisputed first choice and went on to star in 35 league games.

In total, the England Under 21 international posted very good defensive numbers and was the player with the second most interceptions (84) last season behind only Watford's Etienne Capoue who had 86.

In addition, he had the third most number of tackles won with 129 behind Everton's Idrisa Gueye (142) and Leicester's Wilfred Ndidi (143) and his combativeness in defense could help shore up a United backline which has been shipping in goals at an alarming rate.

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Edited by Zaid Khan