Manchester United’s transfer policy could give two pre-season players a second chance
Man Utd are still looking to sign a goalkeeper and forward this transfer window but there is one position they may not be able to strengthen.
Diogo Dalot and Aaron Wan-Bissaka started together in Seville but will fight for a place next season (Image: Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
If there’s one position in Manchester United’s starting XI that looks to be up for grabs in pre-season, it’s almost certainly at right-back. Diogo Dalot or Aaron Wan-Bissaka? It’s a question that even Erik ten Hag seemed uncertain about last season.
Dalot started 38 times last season and Wan-Bissaka started 28 times last season, but their season was basically split in two. Before the World Cup, Wan-Bissaka managed just four minutes and Dalot started 20 straight games.
In November and early December it seemed certain that a new right-back was on the way, perhaps as early as January. What no one saw coming was the rebirth of Wan-Bissaka.
The £45m signing deserved an opportunity thanks to Dalot’s injury and he took it. He finished the season as first choice, while Dalot struggled to come any closer to the form he had shown in the first half of the season. Would you like to join our MUFC Pro Club and get a completely ad-free version of MEN’s Man United app full of premium features? Click here.
The changing of the guard seemed over at Wembley in February when Dalot was substituted at half-time after being cautioned early for a foul on Allan Saint-Maximin. When Wan-Bissaka came on as a substitute, he kept the dangerous Newcastle winger calm with an outstanding defensive performance.
It is Wan-Bissaka who will also return to Carrington for the start of this pre-season, giving him a chance to use his advantage in this fight. Dalot’s season only ended for Portugal on June 20 and in the 90th minute against Iceland.
The 24-year-old might feel he’ll enjoy the break this summer. He looked like a revelation under Ten Hag for the first half of the season, but then lost his bearings as the season progressed. If he can rediscover those standards, he could become the first choice again.
But if not, it could be Wan-Bissaka continuing his renaissance as a United player, although the truth could be told that neither player represents an ideal fit. If there was a possibility of signing a right-back in January, it seemed a certainty for most of the season this summer. Now, that seems very unlikely.
It’s less because the competition between Dalot and Wan-Bissaka forces us to rethink and more because other positions have acquired greater priority. Following the £60m signing of Mason Mount, United will focus on signing a goalkeeper and striker.
After that, the budget is unlikely to increase further, meaning plans to sign a right-back will be pushed further into the future. It’s an imperfect solution, but that’s what happens when you’re dealing with a transfer budget of around £120m, half of which has already been settled.
A delay in filling this position would at least give Dalot and Wan-Bissaka a chance. You’ll get a chance to fight and impress Ten Hag for another season.
Wan-Bissaka definitely deserves credit for the way he put up a fight last season. He didn’t exactly seem to fit Ten Hag’s style, especially when we saw Dalot moving so seamlessly into midfield, but he showed a consistent performance in the second half of the season and improved his performance in the final third. It will take a great season for each of them to secure a place in the squad beyond next summer or even January and that has to start with a pre-season where one of them appropriate for this position.