Well, Manchester United fans, a deal has been done and Aaron Wan-Bissaka is in the building. The star 21-year-old becomes Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s second signing of the summer, but who is he?
Don’t worry, here at Old Trafford Faithful, we’ve tried to cover every base on this one. Where better to go than someone who has watched him week-in-week-out all season long?
We spoke to the excellent Jay Crame from the popular Crystal Palace blog, The Eagles Beak. Go check out their excellent site, or drop them a follow on Twitter here.
First of all, how are you feeling about losing Aaron Wan-Bissaka?
Gutted, absolutely gutted. There is something special about a player coming through the youth system and make it into the first team and then staying there. It has been more difficult to manage in recent years and you have to be quite special to do it, but oddly enough, he made his debut amid an injury crisis and he hasn’t looked back since.
I had hoped we could see him stick around for another season as he continues to develop but that just was not to be…
It’s being widely reported that he’ll join for around £50million, are you happy with that fee?
Yes, of course. Aaron has had one full season in the Premier League and has a lot of years ahead of him so to receive such an offer has turned out just too good to turn down.
There have been a lot of negative comments about the player and the fee but he is that good and he is worth that kind of money to us which has seen United prise him away from Selhurst Park. Problem is, teams will know we have money in their pocket now so asking prices will be upped which is the downside for a club like us.
If there’s an area of his game that needs improving, what would you point to?
Anyone who has watched Wan-Bissaka regularly since he made his debut will know only too well that James Tomkins and Andros Townsend have been a huge part of his development. Tomkins has talked him through games while the support Townsend has offered by tracking back and helping has almost gone unnoticed.
For that reason, he will need some support at United, where I hope he flourishes, but you have to remember his age and the role of a defender is a quite technical one. He is still learning the game but he reads it very well indeed, an old head on young shoulders. He loves a tackle, and a sliding one at that and his timing is more often than not spot on. He is tricky out wide but I would say he needs to improve his final ball which is odd considering he used to be a winger.
In turn, what is his biggest strength?
Tackling. The statistics tell you everything you need to know last season. Players rarely get past him, and while many say he should stay on his feet, why should he when he keeps his eye on the ball so well and wins the challenge so often.
United fans are excited about this transfer, but Old Trafford has been a graveyard for new signings over the last few seasons. Does Wan-Bissaka have the mentality to overcome this?
My biggest concern is that this may be the wrong club at the wrong time. Do not get me wrong, United are a big club but there are plenty of question marks at the moment in and around the place at the moment.
He is a very quiet character but just gets on with the business at hand which says to me he will be a success wherever he goes but as you say, we have seen it before players going to United and failing to make an impact. Everything about him suggests that he will be a success but it will be interesting to see if he takes it all in his stride. Remember, he only made the step up from the academy side towards the end of the 2017/18 season.
Is there one player, current or retired, you’d compare Wan-Bissaka to?
Very good question. I don’t think we have seen a full back at Palace this good since Ashley Cole spent time on loan from Arsenal before returning to the North London club and not looking back. They have similarities too, both have pace and strong in the tackle but Aaron is quite different, he is one of the new breeds of full back that is very comfortable on the ball.
AWB seems like a quiet bloke who likes to keep himself to himself, does that have a negative impact on the field due to a lack of communication?
Not at all, he gets on with his game and to be honest, it is not the full backs that do the talking a lot of the time, that is the role of the centre-back. As I said earlier, you cannot underestimate the impact Tomkins and Townsend have had so he may need some support initially. He is a quiet guy, a recent interview with Wilfried Zaha pretty much said he plays and goes home and keeps himself to himself. All that means is that you are unlikely to see him in entertainment magazines of in the Sunday newspapers which is no bad thing.
Do you think he’s ready to come to United and start week-in-week-out?
If you are paying that amount of money I would expect him to be starting. Perhaps there needs to be a period of settling in but a player like Aaron will just get better and better with game time. It is a good stage of the summer for him to be joining the club, get a good pre-season behind him and hit the ground running. We wish him all the luck in the world and we will continue to watch his career with interest. He’ll always remain one of our own.
Thanks once again, Jay, it’s much appreciated!
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