Soccer Football - Carabao Cup - Round of 16 - Manchester United v Burnley - Old Trafford, Manchester, Britain - December 21, 2022 Manchester United's Aaron Wan-Bissaka in action with Burnley's Josh Brownhill Action Images via Reuters/Phil Noble EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club /league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for further details.
Crystal Palace may have to wait until the summer to sign Aaron Wan-Bissaka from Manchester United, following an update from Fabrizio Romano.
The Lowdown: Wan-Bissaka linked with Palace return
The right-back enjoyed an impressive spell at Selhurst Park as a youngster, which earned him a £50m move to United in the summer of 2019.
It hasn’t quite worked out for Wan-Bissaka at Old Trafford, though, with the 25-year-old being criticised for weaknesses in his attacking game, and he has recently been linked with a return to Palace in order to earn regular playing time again.
However, a fresh claim suggests that there may have been a slight change in the situation.
The Latest: Wan-Bissaka likely to stay put
Taking to Twitter, Romano confirmed Palace’s interest in Wan-Bissaka but said that he could now remain a United player for the rest of the season.
The Italian tweeted:
“Aaron Wan Bissaka has now chances to stay at Manchester United at least until the end of the season, as things stand.
“Wolves, Crystal Palace & West Ham asked for him in December but there’s still no green light.”
The Verdict: Sign him in the summer
In fairness to Wan-Bissaka, he has won back his place in Erik ten Hag’s team, coming in for Diogo Dalot after an injury to the Portuguese defender and starting each of their five Premier League matches since the season resumed a month ago.
That being said, there seems no guarantee that the £90,000-per-week defender will still be a United player next season, judging by the recent transfer rumours, and a reunion with Palace is one which would make complete sense for all parties.
It would provide Patrick Vieira with depth in his defence and also allow Wan-Bissaka to return to the club where he first made his name, perhaps enjoying more prominence in south London than what he’s been getting in Manchester.
Wilfried Zaha hailed the ‘great tackle‘ that his former team-mate produced on him in Wednesday’s 1-1 draw between Palace and United at Selhurst Park, and that tackling ability is something which could firm up Palace’s back-line moving forward. Indeed, Wan-Bissaka ranks in the 98th percentile for that attribute among right-backs in Europe’s top five leagues over the past 12 months, as per FBref.
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