MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 27: Aaron Wan-Bissaka of Manchester United in action during the ... [+]
Before the EFL Cup fixture against Burnley just after the World Cup had finished, Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s last appearance for Manchester United came in April.
Through injuries, sickness and being out of favour with both Ralf Rangnick and Erik Ten Hag, Wan-Bissaka’s fortunes had dipped considerably.
The former Crystal Palace right back, who is nicknamed The Spider for his long levers, was without doubt the number one choice under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. With Diogo Dalot going on loan to AC Milan for the season, Wan-Bissaka had little competition in keeping his place under the Norwegian manager, where results went downhill incredibly quickly.
With Solskjaer removed from his post, Wan-Bissaka’s fortunes changed for the worse at Old Trafford. The right back only managed five further appearances in the Premier
It was clear, like with any player in a similar position, that Wan-Bissaka’s confidence plummeted and he struggled to regain the same level of performance that got him his £50 million move from Crystal Palace in the first instance.
As pre-season came around and Ten Hag firmly in charge, it was made apparent very quickly that Dalot would become the Netherlands’ coach first choice right back head into the season.
DOHA, QATAR - DECEMBER 10: Yahya Attiat-Allah of Morocco is challenged by Diogo Dalot of Portugal ... [+]
Dalot has enjoyed an uninterrupted spell in the team and grown with each performance. There have been moments where the Portugal international has lacked quality in the final third or made a mistake defensively, but on the whole, Dalot has improved drastically since before sending him out on loan to Milan.
At the World Cup, Dalot also excelled. Having not played the opening matches, he usurped Joao Cancelo in Fernando Santos’ team and played to a very high level. He kept his place for both the round of 16 match against Switzerland, as well as their quarter-final versus Morrocco.
There has been loud whispers of Manchester United signing a new right back to become the understudy of Dalot in the short-term future. The Red Devils have been taking a close look at Bayer Leverkusen’s Jeremie Frimpong, who would be available at an affordable price and fits the age profile they are looking for.
However, with limited cash likely to be available until the summer and priorities clearly put on recruiting a new centre forward, it is not out of the question that Wan-Bissaka is given the opportunity to impress until the end of the season.
Manchester United's English defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka (L) tackles Nottingham Forest's Nigerian ... [+]
In his first two games back – against Burnley in the EFL Cup and Nottingham Forest in the Premier League – he did not put a foot wrong. Often criticised for his attacking output, it was that in which stood out most with his clever runs forward and accurate crosses into dangerous areas.
Albeit against lesser opposition and he will certainly have tougher tasks on the horizon, but Manchester United fans were quick to pour on the adulation for coming through two games unscathed.
Dalot has picked up an injury and is likely to be sidelined for the best part of two weeks, which has opened the door to Wan-Bissaka in front of Ten Hag to walk through and take the opportunity.
There is a tough, tenacious, intelligent player in Wan-Bissaka, it is now just about allowing him to grow in confidence and rising up to the performance levels needed. If Manchester United are to have a strong second half of the season, they will need every player to pull their weight and some.
