“He’s a lot tidier on the ball” – Gary Neville makes confident claim on 25-year-old Manchester United star after display in win over Everton
Manchester United legend Gary Neville has praised Aaron Wan-Bissaka after his performance against Everton in the Premier League on Saturday, April 8.
The Red Devils put up a dominant performance at Old Trafford to beat the Toffees 2-0. Goals from Scott McTominay and Anthony Martial secured all three points for the hosts as they moved to third in the Premier League table.
Wan-Bissaka started the game over Diogo Dalot and was excellent throughout. He won five of his seven ground duels and made four clearances and two tackles. The Englishman also played one key pass and completed three of his four dribble attempts.
During the game, a Twitter user with the handle @BeardedGenius pointed out Wan-Bissaka's improvement in attack, writing:
"AWB has defo improved going forward to. Just his awareness for a pass"
Replying to the tweet, Gary Neville wrote:
"Agreed. He’s a lot tidier on the ball."
Agreed. He’s a lot tidier on the ball. twitter.com/beardedgenius/…
Wan-Bissaka, 25, was widely seen as someone being limited to one-on-one defensive abilities. He fell down the pecking order at Manchester United with manager Erik ten Hag preferring Diogo Dalot.
However, Wan-Bissaka has improved in recent times and has contributed well to Manchester United. The Englishman has made 22 appearances across competitions this season, providing one assist.
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag on competition at right-back position
While Ten Hag has preferred Dalot as his first-choice right-back, Wan-Bissaka's improvement has brought the competition really close. The Dutch manager previously alluded to the competition between the two players, saying (via Manchester Evening News):
"I think it's really close, the competition between them. Maybe Aaron [Wan-Bissaka] gives you a little bit more defending, Diogo [Dalot] gives you maybe a little more offence But I have to say I think they both have made progress in both areas, so it's really close."
He added:
"You look at the opponent, you look at the load on the players and you have to manage that when you have two almost-equal players. Then the form they are in is also an issue and then, of course, how is the team doing in the moment? Then you make your decisions.”
Dalot, 24, has made 34 appearances across competitions for Manchester United this season, scoring one goal and providing three assists.
Notably, both right-backs' current contracts with the club expire in the summer of 2024.