Aaron Wan-Bissaka was not a factor when Gareth Southgate named his England Euro 2020 squad this week.
Wan-Bissaka had failed to make the 33 man shortlist, let alone the final 26.
It remains bizarre Wan-Bissaka has never even been capped by England at senior level, despite being the best defensive option.
The criticism of Wan-Bissaka is that he lacks balance in his game and is not good enough going forward, but these comments are often made from judgements made in his first season at United, and fail to acknowledge his improvement.
Southgate selected four right-backs for England and Wan-Bissaka has better attacking numbers than two of them.
How Wan-Bissaka compares
Trent Alexander-Arnold leads the way with nine assists this past season. Kieran Trippier has six assists.
Reece James has three assists, while Kyle Walker has just one.
Wan-Bissaka has five assists, which is more than Reece James and Kyle Walker have managed combined.
Walker averages just 0.4 key passes per game, less than half of Wan-Bissaka’s 0.9.
Nobody is arguing Wan-Bissaka is the complete player yet, but there is too much talking down of his attacking ability in comparison to other players, when factual evidence suggest he is improving.
Wan-Bissaka also scored two goals this season, the same as Trent Alexander-Arnold and Kyle Walker, while Reece James has one and Kieran Trippier none.
Each of England’s four right-backs have redeeming qualities; Walker’s experience and ability to play in a back three could be one reason why Southgate has decided to go with him. It is a position where the Three Lions are spoiled for choice and even selecting four is too many for a major tournament.
But when it comes to Wan-Bissaka we will fight his corner, and underline the improvement to his game which is so frequently overlooked.
In a season where Luke Shaw’s attacking improvement was widely praised by fans, his six assists was just one higher than Wan-Bissaka.
A look back at what Gary Neville says
Speaking to Sky during United’s match against Liverpool last month, former United right-back praised the improvement Wan-Bissaka has made.
Neville said: “Teams used to say let Aaron Wan-Bissaka have it. It’s getting to the point now where he’s got to be dealt with, because he’s starting to have an impact going forward.”
Add in Wan-Bissaka’s attacking improvement with his defensive strengths and United have one of the best all round right-backs in England, and there is still a lot of room for improvement.
England’s loss is United’s gain as Wan-Bissaka will have more rest, and an extra point to prove in the 2020/21 season and beyond.
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