Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s favorite player disproves a myth at Manchester United under Erik ten Hag

Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who joined Manchester United for approximately £50 million in 2019, is finally beginning to live up to his price tag.

Since his arrival at Manchester United four years ago, Aaron Wan-Bissaka has come full circle in his career.

Initially signed by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, just a year after Jose Mourinho had brought in Diogo Dalot as his preferred right-back, the two players have been vying for the same position ever since. At one point last season, Dalot seemed to have the upper hand under Erik ten Hag, but currently, Wan-Bissaka is firmly in control.

In fact, one could argue that the former Crystal Palace defender is indispensable to Ten Hag’s plans at the moment. Wan-Bissaka had achieved this status even during Solskjaer’s tenure, and he has improved significantly in recent months, prompting the Dutch manager to revise his transfer strategy.

When Ten Hag was first appointed, it was expected that Manchester United would pursue another right-back, with names like Jeremie Frimpong, Benjamin Pavard, and Denzel Dumfries circulating. However, it appears that the club’s No.29 is now set to stay.

Solskjaer had predicted that Wan-Bissaka would become a key figure shortly after his high-profile signing. Although this didn’t happen during Solskjaer’s time, the player has since proven his former manager right and dispelled certain misconceptions.

“We saw an exceptional defender when I watched him last season”, commented the Norwegian after Wan-Bissaka’s debut season. “It’s also in him [attacking play], because he’s been a winger, the best full-backs at the moment, sometimes they have been wingers. We rely on the full-backs to go forward in the way we want to play. I’m very pleased with his progress.”

Statistics alone, with just two goals and 12 assists from 164 games, may not fully support Solskjaer’s assertion. However, Wan-Bissaka provided the crucial assist for Raphael Varane’s winning goal against Wolves on the opening day of this season. He has shone for United so far this term, clearly demonstrating an improvement in his attacking contributions.

“He has improved a lot, as many players have improved during this season”, noted Ten Hag when assessing Wan-Bissaka’s progress in May of this year. “That’s one of the jobs for a manager and the coaching staff, to get that done, and we are really happy with it. Players are developing. Within the team’s progress, individuals make a lot of progress. Aaron is definitely one of them.”

In just 76 minutes of play this season, Wan-Bissaka matched his assist count from the entire 2022/2023 campaign. While he may never replicate the attacking output of players like Trent Alexander-Arnold or Reece James, coupled with his exceptional defensive qualities, Manchester United now has a player who could potentially justify his hefty price tag.

Solskjaer always believed the potential was there, and Ten Hag and his coaching staff have managed to unlock it.