Erik ten Hag has already given his verdict on Man Utd defender linked with summer transfer

Erik ten Hag’s tenure as Manchester United manager has been underpinned by a theme of players’ prominence in the side being subject to rapid changing.

David de Gea and Fred ranked in the club’s top four appearance makers last season, yet were deemed surplus to requirements last summer. So were Harry Maguire and Scott McTominay, but by mid-autumn they were suddenly indispensable parts of Ten Hag’s team.

Jadon Sancho’s Hokey Cokey over the last 18 months ended with him acrimoniously departing to Borussia Dortmund this window, while Raphael Varane’s importance in the team has fluctuated widely this season. Likewise, from nowhere, Kobbie Mainoo now appears to be a crucial part of United’s midfield structure, while Alejandro Garnacho is seemingly first choice at right wing ahead of Antony.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka can also testify how drastically the peaks and troughs vary under Ten Hag. The full-back played just four minutes prior to the World Cup break last season but ended up playing in 34 of the 43 matches after the season resumed in late December.

This campaign, like many of United’s players, has been impacted by injury and Wan-Bissaka was forced to sit out 10 games over a two-month period between September and November. Excluding that, the ex-Crystal Palace man has missed just three games all season, numbers which indicate he is an important part of Ten Hag’s plans. But a deeper dive into United’s full-back options suggest otherwise.

United's right-back conundrum

In each of Ten Hag’s first three transfer windows as United boss, the acquisition of a high-calibre attacking right-back has been put forward. But on each occasion, those plans have been shelved due to a lack of finances and the need to prioritise other positions.

It has led to the United boss still possessing the same right-back options as he did on day one, in Wan-Bissaka and Diogo Dalot. In general, one’s demise has led to the other flourishing, with Dalot beginning the Ten Hag era as first choice, before Wan-Bissaka displaced him at the back end of last season.

But the pair have both played in the last four matches and have had their contracts extended in the last eight months, albeit Wan-Bissaka’s deal was only lengthened by an additional year.

They were also both selected to start the 2-2 draw against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, with Wan-Bissaka deployed at left-back for the first time. “We expected Luke Shaw, we trained with Luke Shaw in preparation for this game, but this morning he dropped out, not fit enough to start,” Ten Hag said after the match, when asked about his full-back choices.

“To then change back in what we trained, in what was our game plan, then we had to adapt too much. So we decided to put Azza [Wan-Bissaka] on the left and keep Diogo on the right side.”

Ten Hag’s quotes are telling in a number of senses, and it’s Shaw’s absence that has resulted in Wan-Bissaka and Dalot sharing so many on-field minutes this season. 

The original choice to select the latter against Spurs also indicates Dalot is Ten Hag’s preferred option in that role at present. So too, does his decision making when both were fit and Shaw started at left-back over November and December. On all three occasions, it was Dalot selected on the right-hand side, not Wan-Bissaka.

A return to Palace?

So if Dalot is first choice, where does that leave Wan-Bissaka? Well, as per ESPN, a return to Selhurst Park could be on the cards, with the Eagles and United in talks over a deal that would see the defender return this summer and Michael Olise move in the other direction.

It’s a report that has since been parroted by other outlets, while ESPN add that last month’s decision to extend Wan-Bissaka’s contract by an additional year ‘was taken purely to enable the club to raise funds by offloading him this summer’.

It’s a theory that seems highly probable given United would never have allowed a multi-million-pound asset walk away for free at the end of the season, while the approach for Olise would tally up with Ineos’ transfer strategy. Under Sir Jim Ratcliffe, United plan to purchase emerging talents who already have Premier League experience, with one source citing Everton’s Amadou Onana as an example.

Regardless of United’s pursuit of Olise, Wan-Bissaka’s return to Palace would make sense for all given the player’s struggles to relocate to Manchester following his 2019 move north, while he would offer a significant upgrade on either Nathaniel Clyne or Joel Ward. 

United’s latest financial figures, and the decision to move on five players this month who aren’t in Ten Hag’s first-team plans, also proves how tight the club’s balance sheet is. It’s likely to have an effect on transfer policy this summer, when United will again need to be wary of their income if they hope to fund significant arrivals.

So for now, Wan-Bissaka’s summer departure seems like a move that could benefit everyone, yet under Ten Hag, things can change quickly…