He made 190 appearances for Man Utd, and has a 100 per cent record vs Red Devils since leaving the club
One of Manchester United’s most reliable yet unheralded players returns to Old Trafford, almost as an afterthought.
Manchester United’s match-up with West Ham comes at a critical stage of the season for both clubs, amid a busy run of Premier League fixtures.
West Ham did the double over Manchester United last season, winning 2-1 at the London Stadium, and 2-0 at Old Trafford.
The proudest player on the pitch on both occasions was former Manchester United star Aaron Wan-Bissaka, sold by the Red Devils the previous summer.
Wan-Bissaka was moved aside by the Manchester United, and has quietly proved a point in the two games. Now he is looking to make it three in a row.
Photo by Mark Leech/Offside/Offside via Getty Images
Manchester United have a terrible recent record vs West Ham 😡
Man Utd vs West HamResult11/5/25 (H)❌ West Ham win 2-027/4/24 (A)❌ West Ham win 2-13/2/24 (H)✅ Man Utd win 3-023/12/23 (A)❌ West Ham win 2-07/5/23 (A)❌ West Ham win 1-0
Why do you think it has gone so badly in recent games against West Ham? 🤔
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Aaron Wan-Bissaka was an underrated asset to Manchester United
Aaron Wan-Bissaka was an asset to Manchester United during his five seasons at the club.
Signed for an inflated £50 million fee, Wan-Bissaka delivered on his reputation of being one of the best defensive full-backs in football.
That is a problem Manchester United will need to deal with in the upcoming game against West Ham.
But a lot was made of Wan-Bissaka’s attacking deficiencies. He scored only two goals in 190 appearances for the club. Ultimately United wanted more.
United hoped Wan-Bissaka would develop in this area, and at times the criticism of the defender was overblown. He was not appreciated enough for what he did bring to the team.
Wan-Bissaka’s final competitive game for United was the 2024 FA Cup Final. He started the game and bowed out on a high, winning the trophy.
United sold the defender for £15 million to West Ham the following summer, with Erik ten Hag choosing to sign Noussair Mazraoui instead.
Wan-Bissaka was still good enough to play for United, but Ten Hag simply wanted a fresh approach.
Who was the best player to play for Man Utd and West Ham? Check out our ‘Played for both XI’
Who else have we missed? 🤔
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Impact of Wan-Bissaka’s quiet exit
Noussair Mazraoui has been widely praised as an impressive Manchester United signing, in terms of performance level and price.
But there has been one problem. He has been inefficient from an attacking perspective, with Aaron Wan-Bissaka scoring more goals, and providing more assists, in fewer games.
Player comparisonSeasonGames PlayedGoalsAssistsAaron Wan-Bissaka (West Ham)2025/2612002024/253825–––––Noussair Mazraoui (Man Utd)2025/267002024/255703
To be fair to Mazraoui, he has played a lot at centre-back in new head coach Ruben Amorim’s system. Yet when he has played at wing-back, he has struggled to impact the final third.
Amorim’s wing-back formation would likely have made life uncomfortable for Aaron Wan-Bissaka too.
His exit likely came at the right time for him. Amorim favours a far more attacking solution, shifting Amad to play at the position.
Wan-Bissaka has continued to go about his business at West Ham, and it has not been easy, with Julen Lopetegui fired and replaced by Graham Potter, who was also then sacked and replaced by Nuno Espirito Santo.
After experiencing similar managerial chaos at Manchester United, Wan-Bissaka has been unfazed by the same at West Ham.
He has also been missing out on the spotlight that being a Manchester United player brings, and perhaps that suits him.
For one night only, Wan-Bissaka returns to the Theatre of Dreams, looking for another win.
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