Aaron Wan-Bissaka is pleased with his progress at Manchester United this season under manager Erik ten Hag Photo: Paul Cooper
Aaron Wan-Bissaka talks about the art of attack. Growing up on impromptu pitches in his Croydon town of New Addington, he started out as a striker pretending to be Thierry Henry, but the focus shifts when you move from striker to full-back and plays regularly in the Premier League for several months. League.
Suddenly he thought about how to stop the best wingers in the world. His third game for Crystal Palace was against Eden Hazard, whom he still considers to be the toughest opponent he has ever faced. It was this one-on-one defense that landed him at Manchester United for £50m four seasons ago. His old teammate Wilfrid Zaha said that only Wan-Bissaka could complete the last tackle he made when he returned to Selhurst Park this season.
But since he returned to Erik ten Hag's team this season, something more has happened in his game. He is the new full-back, striker or even drifting inside to become a central midfielder. Marcus Rashford made headlines with his goals, but there has been a resurgence on the right flank of a player who has taken time to adapt to Ten Hag's methods but is now reaping the rewards by learning the Dutchman's system. .
"You don't expect it to happen overnight. It takes time, concentration, focus and understanding.” says Wan-Bissaka.
“As a child, it was quite natural until I became a defender, so you forget a little, because again in the wrong areas. So it's kind of weird, you focus more on the defensive side. It was a transition. Now I'm getting used to it again. It makes me get used to these positions, because there is a chance in the game that I have to be in these positions for myself or make room for another player.
&# 34. There are always such crossing opportunities in the game, so you have to be ready for them, so you need to keep practicing and coaching them. the best of us'
Ten Hag saw enough in training to get Wan-Bissaka on his team during Christmas matches and he has been a regular since then. One of his best games was in the Manchester derby when United bounced back from a goal to win. When Rashford scored the winning goal, it was Wan-Bissaka who was at the back supporting the strikers.
On the training grounds at the club's headquarters in Carrington, Ten Hag gave clear instructions on how his full-backs should play, as long as they were never in a straight line facing the field. That's why Wan-Bissaka was «flipped». at times into midfield or making overlapping passes.
He has been working on his cross passing, but Ten Hag wants to perfect the timing of those passes.
" I think there needs to be more involvement in the higher part of the pitch, which is what the manager wants.» Wan-Bissaka says. — This is what I gave him. He wants the full-back and winger to be on opposite lines, so if one is outside, the other is inside. That's what happened in games on both sides of the field.
"It gives more options for other players. This creates space for other areas of the field. Now it's natural. This is what we do in training and practice, so we should make it a habit to create as many variations as possible.
"It's about time. When to be in certain positions at different times. To come forward and be an option, the more players in the box, the better. It's just an understanding of what the coach requires. It's demanding and it allows us to work to the best of our ability.
"My goal was to keep improving and using each game step by step. I am very pleased with this. The only thing I can do when I get on the field is to give my all to the team and the coach"
Wan-Bissaka also thrived with Diogo Dalot as an opponent at right-back and the pair pushed each other. As a result, Wan-Bissaka, in his opinion, is in better shape than when he was called up to England in 2019. “This time everything is more stable. I feel it in me" he says.
It was a huge turnaround for him as he left United in the second half of last season. Palace were interested in his return, while other clubs were also keeping an eye on his situation. His only goal was to play regularly and that was for United. With one full season remaining on his Old Trafford contract, he put himself in an advantageous position for the club to consider an extension.
the goal was just to play, everyone loves to play and that makes me happy. During this time, I would do everything to play again" he says.
"I'm happy here, I've been happy since joining you, and that's what I've worked for and continue to work for."< /p> 'Providing opportunities where there are few'
Although his form is better than when he was called to England, he is also eligible to compete in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where both of his parents were born before moving to Croydon to give their children the best opportunities. Though born in England, Wan-Bissaka is closely linked to his family's homeland and runs a football foundation in Kinshasa, an academy for young players.
"It will be an academy that people can join and have the experience that some of us have here in terms of football facilities, off-pitch gyms, and classroom learning. Canteen, changing rooms, everything they want to experience, we have. Everyone is chasing the same dream, some are lucky and some are not, so I would like to give something back and I want to give opportunities where there are few."
His father, Ambroise, is involved in the project while the academy is being built, now the land has been bought. Wan-Bissaka Sr was his son's top driver during his academy years and will be at Wembley this weekend as United look to reach the FA Cup final and complete their trophy this season. It will be a real campaign for him after he made it back and a return to the Champions League is just around the corner.
"It was our goal to get into the top four, and this is our goal&# 34; Wan-Bissaka says. “We had some injuries that were not good news for us, but at the same time there is nothing we can do. The best thing we can do is stick together and go as far as we can"
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