Manchester United’s already dead Premier League campaign received another kick, this time by West Ham, and a familiar face was at the centre of it all.
The 0-2 loss to West Ham will have the Man Utd fans feeling numb as the club have become scarily comfortable with losing in the league.
However, the manner of the defeat will still sting, especially as the performance of a player they sold for just £15 million came back to haunt them.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka put in a sterling display in West Ham’s win, and manager Graham Potter poured salt on Man Utd’s wounds after the game with a bold claim about the player.
Graham Potter’s Aaron Wan-Bissaka claim
To be fair, even when Aaron Wan-Bissaka was sold, there was fear that United were selling a top-class player, although his suitability to the team wasn’t always perfect.
Wan-Bissaka has shone for West Ham throughout the season and at Old Trafford, he was clearly a man determined to make his old team miss him.
Despite starting on the left, he locked down Amad, then Alejandro Garnacho, after moving to the right, and also showed nice footwork going forward.
He finished the game with one assist and played a crucial role in both goals, with Potter praising him to the heavens after the game, including one claim that will hurt Man Utd.
He said: “He’s been really impressive. I can’t say this categorically because I don’t know Aaron’s career, but I can’t imagine he’s played as well (before) as he has for us at this point in his career.”
Considering Wan-Bissaka played so well at Palace that United spent nearly £50 million on him, before winning trophies at Old Trafford, that is quite the claim.
But is it true?
Breaking down Potter’s claim and Wan-Bissaka’s Man Utd history
There’s an element of recency bias in Potter’s claim and a hint of a manager hyping his player up with a subjective comment.
It can be argued that even if the scrutiny of Man Utd is ignored, the player was borderline world-class for Palace, which earned him the Utd move in the first place.
Then, adding the context of the pressure of playing for Man Utd, it is difficult to completely agree with the claim that this is Wan-Bissaka’s best form of his career.
He was keeping Diogo Dalot out of the team at one time at United and deservedly so, and only his lack of suitability to the team ended his time at the club.
Despite his form with the Hammers, he’s also not one of the players extremely missed, because Noussair Mazraoui has been a picture of reliability and the same can be said of Dalot too.
Ultimately, this is a move that worked out the best for everyone.
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