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Kevin Phillips believes the time has come for Manchester United to dip into the transfer market to sign a replacement for right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka was a big-money £50 million signing from Crystal Palace in the summer of 2019. He has made 120 appearances across competitions for the Red Devils till date. However, the 24-year-old right-back has not lived up to expectations at Old Trafford. Wan-Bissaka has struggled to fit into Ralf Rangnick's system and has come under the scanner for his lack of contribution while moving forward up the pitch.
For comparison sake, the Englishman has provided 10 assists across competitions in his entire United career. That number has been achieved by his Liverpool counterpart Trent Alexander-Arnold in the current Premier League season itself.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, Phillips stated that Wan-Bissaka's time at the club is slowly coming to an end after failing to reach his full potential in two seasons. He said:
“Wan-Bissaka has struggled this season. When he first went to Man United I thought he’d be a great signing. He’s strong, doesn’t get beat and is great defending one v one. Yes, going forward he had a lot to work on but I thought he could develop that part of his game. It just hasn’t happened though. He hasn’t developed. There have been injuries and setbacks which haven’t helped."
Kevin Phillips believes Brighton & Hove Albion wing-back Tariq Lamptey is an ideal replacement for Wan-Bissaka at Old Trafford. However, Brighton have valued the 21-year-old at £40 million. Phillips added:
“At the end of the day, this is Manchester United we are talking about. When a player doesn’t perform, naturally, you look somewhere else. Lamptey is a terrific player. He bombs forward and has excellent technical ability. I think he would be a very good signing. He’d only get better there I think.”
Aaron Wan-Bissaka has had an underwhelming 2021-22 season for Manchester United. The former Crystal Palace full-back was most notably sent off against BSC Young Boys in the UEFA Champions League back in September.
It is worth mentioning that Wan-Bissaka missed out on the squad which traveled to Aston Villa at the weekend. Ralf Rangnick instead started Diogo Dalot in the right-back position. However, the Manchester Evening News reported that the Englishman was out due to illness.
Manchester United dropped more points in the league against Aston Villa
Manchester United dropped two valuable points at the weekend when they squandered a 2-0 lead against Aston Villa. Bruno Fernandes scored twice before Villa netted two late goals through Jacob Ramsey and Philippe Coutinho.
The Red Devils have lost ground in the race for the Premier League top four. As things stand, Manchester United are seventh in the standings, having amassed 32 points from 20 matches. Ralf Rangnick's side currently trail the likes of West Ham United, Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal.
They will play newcomers Brentford on Wednesday, January 19 and attempt to secure maximum points to make up ground on the top four.
