Aaron Wan-Bissaka Is Manchester United’s Player Of The Year So Far

At the start of the year a video clip was widely shared on social media showing a very strange occurrence: Aaron Wan-Bissaka being beaten by an attacker.

The footage was from Manchester United’s 2-0 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield in January and showed Roberto Firmino getting the better of Wan-Bissaka, turning him inside out and finally sending him to the turf with a flamboyant dummy.

At last here was evidence Wan-Bissaka was human, and there might be a way past him after all.

The only problem was the clip had been edited, and in its entirety actually showed Wan-Bissaka leaping back to his feet, blocking Firmino’s shot and stopping Liverpool’s attack.

Premier League attackers have been discovering all season that just when they think they have got the better of Wan-Bissaka he ultimately wins the duel.  

Amid Manchester United’s turbulent and frustrating season, Wan-Bissaka has been a beacon of consistency and brilliance, and at this stage of the season, would deserve to be the club’s Player of the Year.  

His arrival at Old Trafford last summer for a sizeable £50 million ended United’s long search for a reliable right-back since Gary Neville’s heyday.

But while Wan-Bissaka had excelled for more than a year at Selhurst Park it still represented a risk to invest so much in a player who had never played European or International football, and only appeared in 46 first team games.

But the south Londoner immediately proved he belonged at Old Trafford, and soon United fans were acknowledging that they knew he would be good, but not this good.

It is exceptionally difficult to find a way past Wan-Bissaka: he is quick, strong, possesses great anticipation, and has a rare agility, almost a bendiness about him, which sees him contort his body to always get his foot to the ball first.

So far this season he has made the second most tackles in the Premier League, and is averaging in each game the most tackles (3.8) and interceptions (2.0) of any United player.

With the possible exception of Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk, there isn’t a better defender at actually defending in the Premier League.

But in the modern era full-backs are expected to offer a lot more and be auxiliary wingers as well.

While at Palace he was simply expected sit back and defend, at United it is demanded he gets forward to support attacks.

In his early months he tended to be more cautious, but recently there have been clear signs Wan-Bissaka is emerging as an attacking force as well.

Before Christmas Wan-Bissaka was averaging 2.5 crosses each game, it is now 3.5; the chances he creates in each game have more than doubled from 0.5 to 1.2, and his completed dribbles have leapt from 1.4 to 2.0 in each game.

Wan-Bissaka’s two Premier League assists have unsurprisingly come in this period after Christmas as well.

He has few real competitors for the title of United’s Player of the Year so far; Marcus Rashford would have offered the strongest opposition had he not sustained his injury in January, Harry Maguire has had an impressive first season, but not been as consistent as Wan-Bissaka, while Fred, Scott McTominay and Anthony Martial have all enjoyed their own fine moments.

Without Wan-Bissaka last season United conceded 54 goals in the Premier League, and suffered the humiliation of having their worst defensive record in the top flight for 40 years.

But his tenacity at right-back has helped United concede a more respectable 30 goals in 29 games this season, less than the reigning champions Manchester City, to amass the fourth best defensive record in the Premier League.

We still don’t know when this season will end, but Wan-Bissaka can start planning with some confidence where at his house he is going to display the Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year trophy he so richly deserves.