Manchester United defender can complete redemption with unlikely start in Carabao Cup final
Manchester United defender can complete redemption with unlikely start in Carabao Cup final
Manchester United defender can complete redemption with unlikely start in Carabao Cup final
Aaron Wan-Bissaka seemed almost certain to leave Man United but he's made laudable improvement under Erik ten Hag.
United can back up their win over Barcelona with success at Wembley (Image: OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images)
A quick Google search of 'Aaron Wan-Bissaka interview' and limited results appear in the search engine. His most recent media appearance seems to be from January 2021 with MUTV and even in that footage, he doesn't really say much.
Wan-Bissaka keeps a deliberately low profile but it would be a surprise if he didn't have something to say about his last few years at Old Trafford, which have seen him lose his starting place in what has been the most difficult period of his career.
Although the 25-year-old might eventually set the record straight and give his side of the story in the future, he's currently letting his football do the talking. That has been by design and supporters have been impressed by his renaissance.
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Wan-Bissaka has enjoyed a change of fortunes over the last few months and he's trying to prove those who doubted him wrong. His days at the club looked to be numbered and yet he's admirably fought for his future at Old Trafford.
The right-back was informed he could leave United at the end of last season and when he replaced Diogo Dalot against Liverpool in August for a cameo at the end of the game, he set foot on the Old Trafford pitch for the first time in 177 days.
He played just 200 minutes in front of a home crowd across the entirety of 2022 and yet was given a rare start against Burnley in the League Cup toward the end of the year, an opportunity which he made the most of.
The first-team was severely weakened for that restart fixture in December after the World Cup and Wan-Bissaka benefitted from Dalot, who had played in Qatar, being absent through injury, but nonetheless, he still had to perform when selected.
Wan-Bissaka played more minutes at Old Trafford in the last few weeks of the festive period than he did in the 11 months preceding that spell and he's continued to be selected, despite Dalot returning to full fitness.
Wan-Bissaka started against Barcelona
He started on the bench in both matches against Leeds and in the victory against Leicester, with Dalot getting the nod instead, but he made the starting team for both legs against Barcelona.
That would have been unthinkable just six months ago. Wan-Bissaka did not put a foot wrong in either match against Barcelona and, although he was substituted with 20 minutes to go in the second leg, he's made a case to start in the Carabao Cup final.
Barcelona have capable attacking players and Wan-Bissaka emerged from the two-legged Europa League playoff with credit, which guarantees he'll be firmly in Erik ten Hag's thoughts to start against Newcastle at Wembley.
While Dalot is the first-choice right-back and that status has been earned over the last 18 months, Wan-Bissaka has put that disappointment behind him to prove he's a capable deputy, which some thought was beyond him.
It seemed likely Wan-Bissaka needed a change of scenery, perhaps a relocation to his home city of London, to find his form again, but he's made gradual improvement with coaching from Ten Hag and his relatively new backroom staff.
Ten Hag has coaxed improvement from almost every member of the dressing room and that has been seen in Wan-Bissaka. His progress is not as obvious as Marcus Rashford's but he deserves equal credit for emerging from the doldrums.
There is a choice to make at right-back for the final this weekend. It seems likely Dalot will start the game, but that is by no means certain and Wan-Bissaka deserves immense praise for giving Ten Hag something he initially didn't have: a choice.
Two starts against Barcelona are a testament to Wan-Bissaka's improvement and a start in the Carabao Cup final would feel like the player completing his redemption.