It’s fair to say the prospect of coming up against Ryan Giggs on a Saturday afternoon is not something most Premier League full-backs would have looked forward too.
In the 1990s and early 2000s, the Manchester United legend was one of the quickest, trickiest wingers in the game.
A player blessed with explosive acceleration and the dynamic dribbling ability to tear even the finest of backlines to shreds all on his own, as Arsenal discovered during that iconic FA Cup semi-final winner.
Even as he crossed into his 30s – and towards his 40s – Ryan Giggs remained as fearsome an opponent as ever. The pace may have gone, but the intelligence stayed.
But how would the 13-time Premier League champion deal with the presence of one Aaron Wan-Bissaka?
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Manchester United sell Aaron Wan-Bissaka to West Ham
Had he shared a dressing room with Man United’s long-serving, tough-tackling right-back, what tricks of the trade would Giggs have used to bamboozle a man who shut down Allan Saint-Maximin and Jeremy Doku at Wembley as Erik ten Hag marked both of his seasons at the helm with silverware?
“I would have stayed away from him, especially later on (in my career)!” Giggs tells Webby and O’Neill on YouTube. “One-on-one, obviously, he’s one of the best in the league.
“I would have played in that little pocket rather than up against him. A couple of times I would have faked to cross or shoot just to nick a penalty cause he did go down to ground quite a lot.”
That was both a strength and a weakness, at times.
Paolo Maldini once said that the greatest defenders never went to ground – if they did, that usually meant they had already made a mistake – and Wan-Bissaka’s penchant for perfectly-timed sliding tackles often overshadowed the positional errors that put him in such a last-gasp position to begin with.
Though, on the other hand, Man United could find themselves pining for ‘The Spider’ if they come up against a devilish winger with pace to burn next season.
Noussair Mazraoui arrives from Bayern Munich
Wan-Bissaka brought an end to a half-decade at Old Trafford this week when he signed a seven-year deal with West Ham. United accepted a bid of £15 million, thus freeing up funds for Noussair Mazraoui to arrive from Bayern Munich alongside Matthijs de Ligt.
“I am delighted we’ve been able to get the deal to sign Aaron over the line,” Tim Steidten, West Ham’s sporting director, tells The Hammers’ official website. “He’s exactly the type of player we’re looking to attract to this club in the prime years of his career.
“He’s an incredibly talented defender who we rate very highly. (Wan-Bissaka is) superb in one-on-one situations,” the former Bayer Leverkusen chief adds.
“He’s versatile too, which is clearly another positive. He’s played over 170 Premier League games during his career – he knows the division inside-out.
“I’d like to personally thank the board for their continued backing to bring players of such quality to West Ham. It’s a really exciting time for us as we prepare for the start of the new season this weekend.”
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