A quick Google search for ‘Aaron Wan-Bissaka interview’ and limited results show up in the search engine. The most recent media appearance of him appears to be from January 2021 with MUTV and even in that footage, it doesn’t really say much.
Wan-Bissaka is deliberately keeping a low profile but it would be a surprise if he didn’t have something to say about his final years at Old Trafford, which have seen him lose his starting job in what has been the most difficult period of his career. career.
Although the 25-year-old could eventually set the record straight and give his side of the story in the future, he is currently letting his football speak for itself. That has been by design and supporters have been impressed by the revival of it.
ALSO READ: What will happen next with the United acquisition?
Wan-Bissaka has enjoyed a change of fortune in recent months and is trying to prove those who doubted him wrong. His days at the club seemed numbered and yet he has fought admirably for his future at Old Trafford.
The right-back was told he could leave United at the end of last season and when he replaced Diogo Dalot against Liverpool in August for a late-match cameo appearance, 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 throughout 2022, and yet made a rare start against Burnley in the League Cup towards the end of the year, an opportunity he made the most of.
The first team was severely weakened for that restart match in December after the World Cup and Wan-Bissaka benefited from Dalot, who had played in Qatar, was absent through injury but still had to perform when selected. .
Wan-Bissaka played more minutes at Old Trafford in the final weeks of the festive period than he had in the 11 months before that period and has continued to be selected, despite Dalot returning to full fitness.
He started on the bench in the two games against Leeds and in the victory against Leicester, giving the go-ahead to Dalot, but he started in the two games against Barcelona.
That would have been unthinkable just six months ago. Wan-Bissaka made no mistake in either of the two games against Barcelona and, although he was substituted with 20 minutes to go in the second leg, he has reason to start in the Carabao Cup final.
Barcelona have capable attacking players and Wan-Bissaka emerged with credit from the two-legged Europa League playoff, ensuring he will 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 in the last 18 months, Wan-Bissaka has put that disappointment behind him to prove himself as a capable substitute, which some thought was beyond him.
It seemed likely that Wan-Bissaka needed a change of scenery, perhaps a move to his hometown of London, to find his form again, but he has gradually improved with training from Ten Hag and his relatively new backroom staff.
Ten Hag has gotten upgrades from almost every member of the locker room and that has been seen in Wan-Bissaka. His progress isn’t as obvious as Marcus Rashford’s, but he deserves just as much credit for breaking the rut.
There is a choice to be made at right-back for this weekend’s final. It seems likely that Dalot will start the game, but that’s not certain and Wan-Bissaka deserves immense praise for giving Ten Hag something he didn’t initially 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 completed his redemption.
READ MORE: