Jadon Sancho’s move to Manchester United stands to benefit the whole attacking unit at Old Trafford. The forward players will be aided by linking up with the winger, and there will be added rotation and less strain on them.
It is possible the biggest winner from the deal will be Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
Wan-Bissaka is United’s first choice right-back and he has played 100 games in just two seasons. For much of this, it has been a learning curve, with Wan-Bissaka outstanding defensively but still finding his feet in attack.
It hasn’t been all bad. Wan-Bissaka managed five assists last season, just one fewer than Luke Shaw.
The biggest challenge for Wan-Bissaka since his £50 million move to United in 2019 is that he has not had a proper right winger in front of him; all he has had is makeshift solutions.
A proper connection at last
When we remember United’s Treble winning team in ’99 one of the features of their success was the right-sided partnership between Gary Neville and David Beckham.
Wan-Bissaka has not had a winger with which to build a consistent connection until now.
When he joined, Wan-Bissaka began at United with Andreas Pereira playing out on the right-wing in the 2019/20 season. This did not last long.
Dan James has only been picked there sporadically, and still lacks experience at this level himself.
Mason Greenwood has been the player Wan-Bissaka has played behind the most, and yet, he quite clearly is not a winger, nobody believes it will be his future position.
Greenwood drifts inside to the penalty box as often as possible, it’s his instinct to do so, rather than hugging the touchline like a traditional winger. As such it is trickier for Wan-Bissaka and himself to combine effectively.
Marcus Rashford has played out on the right too at times, but he is far more at home on the left wing.
Enter Sancho
Sancho’s arrival can change things for Wan-Bissaka and give him the chance to improve his link up and attacking play. He will get more chances to offer overlaps and put crosses in.
United’s new signing can play on the left too and this is an asset, but it is safe to say a minimum of 50 per cent of Sancho’s game time will come from the right wing, and over the course of the season that amounts to substantial minutes.
Wan-Bissaka has been making some attacking improvements to his game. Figures show he had superior attacking numbers to both Kyle Walker and Reece James, who were selected in the England squad ahead of him.
Linking up with Sancho will benefit Wan-Bissaka and help his game improve, and offer more balance to United’s forward play, which has been too slanted to the left at times.
Playing alongside Wan-Bissaka will help Sancho too. The incoming winger will have the luxury of having one of the best defensive full-backs in world football behind him. This takes some of the pressure off his defensive duties, allowing him to focus more on the attacking side of his game.
This is not a short-term fix, but a long-term one. Sancho is United’s long-term right winger and Wan-Bissaka at right-back. It might be instant, or it could take a little time for them to hit it off, but in the end it should be worth the wait.
- Michael Carrick finds unexpected Man Utd first-team breakout this summer, a nightmare for two stars
- Leny Yoro is setting the standard for Man Utd in pre-season
- Why Michael Carrick is more ‘pleased’ for two Man Utd players than any other stars after 5-0 Rosenborg win
- How Michael Carrick’s pre-season summer tour record so far compares with past three Man Utd managers
- Michael Carrick passed the Man Utd test against Rosenborg which Solskjaer and Ten Hag failed
- Bruno Fernandes now finally has something he never has at Man Utd thanks to Michael Carrick
- Dan Gore will force Michael Carrick to make a decision that previously cost Man Utd a £50m-rated star
- Andrey Santos snubs Paul Scholes from top five midfielders of all time as one ex-Man Utd star makes his rankings
- Alejandro Garnacho receives rare reaction from one former Man Utd teammate after Aston Villa transfer
- Harry Amass is Man Utd’s Luke Shaw successor, but he is pushing to take over right now
Receive a digest of our best United content each week direct to your mailbox
