Aaron Wan-Bissaka ranks among Europe's best for stopping dribblers in their tracks... but is his vastly inferior attacking output the reason Man United are prepared to cut their losses on the £50m defender?
- Saudi club Al-Nassr are preparing a deal to tempt Wan-Bissaka to the Pro League
- Defender cost United £50m in 2019 but they aren't offering a long-term deal
- Be careful what you wish for Palace fans! Do you want to become a yo-yo club? It's All Kicking Off
Aaron Wan-Bissaka ranks among the best one-on-one defenders in European football and his mastery of slide tackling has earned him the nickname 'spider'.
Yet this £50million right-back - who is only 26 - could soon be on his way out of Manchester United and plying his trade in Saudi Arabia.
Wan-Bissaka represented a substantial investment when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's United signed him from Crystal Palace in 2019 and was viewed as someone who might hold down his position there for a decade.
But now, after talks over a contract renewal faltered this month, United decided against the long-term option and instead triggered a 12-month extension to safeguard some of his value.
They won't recoup the initial £45m plus £5m in add-ons they paid in 2019 but at least Al-Nassr would pay a fair transfer fee and they'd get something back.
![Aaron Wan-Bissaka's days at Manchester United may be numbered after the club decided against offering the right-back a long-term contract extension](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/01/24/11/80404331-13000581-image-a-23_1706096458495.jpg)
Aaron Wan-Bissaka's days at Manchester United may be numbered after the club decided against offering the right-back a long-term contract extension
![Wan-Bissaka cost United £50million when signed in 2019 but hasn't hit the heights for them](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/01/24/15/80404209-13000581-Wan_Bissaka_cost_United_50million_when_signed_in_2019_but_hasn_t-a-6_1706109759234.jpg)
Wan-Bissaka cost United £50million when signed in 2019 but hasn't hit the heights for them
![United's new investor Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his Ineos analysts will probably believe the club can buy an upgrade on Wan-Bissaka in upcoming transfer windows](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/01/24/15/80404517-13000581-United_s_new_investor_Sir_Jim_Ratcliffe_and_his_Ineos_analysts_w-a-7_1706109759236.jpg)
United's new investor Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his Ineos analysts will probably believe the club can buy an upgrade on Wan-Bissaka in upcoming transfer windows
The Saudi club of Cristiano Ronaldo and Sadio Mane would be able to outbid Wan-Bissaka's other suitors and offer him higher wages.
His old club Palace and also West Ham have expressed an interest, while Inter Milan have been linked of late, but might not offer United such a good return or Wan-Bissaka such high wages.
But the question is whether a player of Wan-Bissaka's clear talent should be playing in the Pro League and not one of Europe's top divisions at such a young age.
His career at United certainly hasn't taken off in the way they hoped and Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his Ineos analysts would no doubt back themselves to find a more well-rounded right-back.
This seems to be the crux of the issue for Wan-Bissaka. While his defending attributes are top class, his output in an attacking sense is lacking as just two goals and 13 assists in 177 United appearances would attest to.
His problem is that the modern full-back needs to excel in both departments - willingly supporting a winger and whipping in dangerous crosses, while tracking back and making vital tackles.
Wan-Bissaka's game has come on under Erik ten Hag and his regular starts this season either side of a nine-game hamstring injury lay-off mean he is first-choice in his position ahead of Diogo Dalot.
But the nagging feeling persists United could find an upgrade who combines attacking creativity with defensive resilience.
![The English defender, 26, ranks among Europe's best defenders when it comes to tackling](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/01/24/15/80404189-13000581-The_English_defender_26_ranks_among_Europe_s_best_defenders_when-a-8_1706109759237.jpg)
The English defender, 26, ranks among Europe's best defenders when it comes to tackling
![But Wan-Bissaka's attacking output leaves plenty to be desired in an age when full-backs need to be adept at it](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/01/24/15/80404193-13000581-But_Wan_Bissaka_s_attacking_output_leaves_plenty_to_be_desired_i-a-9_1706109759240.jpg)
But Wan-Bissaka's attacking output leaves plenty to be desired in an age when full-backs need to be adept at it
There's certainly mitigation for Wan-Bissaka - he led the Premier League for tackles made in his debut season and helped United to a third-place finish and three cup semi-finals.
He helped Solskjaer's team to the Europa League final in 2021 and was undisputed first-choice in his role, despite the empty stadiums of the Covid pandemic making it hard to conjure energy at times.
![Wan-Bissaka has established himself as United's first-choice under Erik ten Hag](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/01/24/15/80404203-13000581-Wan_Bissaka_has_established_himself_as_United_s_first_choice_und-a-10_1706109759243.jpg)
Wan-Bissaka has established himself as United's first-choice under Erik ten Hag
But he was as culpable as his team-mates as Solskjaer's tenure came to a crashing halt in the autumn of 2021 before injuries, illness and Dalot made his appearances more sporadic in Ralf Rangnick's interim spell.
Plagued by back issues, it took some time last season for Wan-Bissaka to illustrate to Ten Hag that he could do a better job than Dalot.
One he was given regular action after the Qatar World Cup, he played some of his best football in United colours, an often-overlooked but important component of an improved team all-round.
Another problem Wan-Bissaka has faced is achieving chemistry with the winger ahead of him.
At first, it would be Dan James or Jesse Lingard, both of whom weren't fully in the United class. At other times, it would be Juan Mata or Mason Greenwood on the right wing.
Then it was sometimes Jadon Sancho, who as we know produced far beneath his best. Antony's expensive arrival offered consistency but he too woefully underperformed.
The Brazilian's tendency to cut inside and shoot made a lot of Wan-Bissaka's overlapping runs redundant, which must have been frustrating, especially when opponents worked it all out.
But when contemporaries like Trent Alexander-Arnold, Kyle Walker, Kieran Trippier and Reece James can combine high levels of both attacking and defensive output, Wan-Bissaka pales by comparison.
![Wan-Bissaka doesn't measure up to the likes of Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold when it comes to attacking attributes](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/01/24/15/80404605-13000581-Wan_Bissaka_doesn_t_measure_up_to_the_likes_of_Liverpool_s_Trent-a-11_1706109759245.jpg)
Wan-Bissaka doesn't measure up to the likes of Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold when it comes to attacking attributes
![The likes of England and Chelsea defender Reece James have also raised the bar for full-backs](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/01/24/15/80404639-13000581-The_likes_of_England_and_Chelsea_defender_Reece_James_have_also_-a-12_1706109759247.jpg)
The likes of England and Chelsea defender Reece James have also raised the bar for full-backs
Each of his first two United seasons saw Wan-Bissaka supply four assists in Premier League action but in the last two-and-a-half combined, he's delivered only the one.
His defensive work largely cannot be faulted. Sometimes Wan-Bissaka gets caught out positionally when opponents counter with speed but his own pace and tackling ability helps to defuse danger.
Wan-Bissaka has consistently ranked first not only in the Premier League but all of Europe's top five leagues for tackles won and dribblers tackled in recent seasons.
A stat surfaced towards the end of last season that of the 2,168 players who attempted over 100 tackles in Europe's big five leagues since the start of 2017-18, Wan-Bissaka's success rate of 78.6 per cent was unsurpassed.
It turned out his tackling and anticipation skills were honed by facing Wilfried Zaha and Yannick Bolasie day-after-day in training when a youngster at Crystal Palace.
![Wan-Bissaka and Antony (right) haven't developed the chemistry Ten Hag hoped for](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/01/24/15/80404721-13000581-Wan_Bissaka_and_Antony_right_haven_t_developed_the_chemistry_Ten-a-13_1706109759248.jpg)
Wan-Bissaka and Antony (right) haven't developed the chemistry Ten Hag hoped for
![Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia want Wan-Bissaka to join up with Sadio Mane and Cristiano Ronaldo](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/01/24/15/80404831-13000581-Al_Nassr_in_Saudi_Arabia_want_Wan_Bissaka_to_join_up_with_Sadio_-a-14_1706109759250.jpg)
Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia want Wan-Bissaka to join up with Sadio Mane and Cristiano Ronaldo
You wonder if facing Sancho and Antony in training at United enabled him to keep those skills sharp to the same degree.
If United had done their job fully, Wan-Bissaka would have built on those natural defensive abilities by adding attacking facets to make him more of a threat pushing on down the right wing.
Perhaps he never had it in him. But whatever the reason, his time with United looks set to be a case of what might have been.
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