Manchester United legend Denis Irwin has hailed Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Daniel James after their promising starts at Old Trafford.
Back in June, James became Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s first signing when he joined in a £15m transfer from Championship outfit Swansea City. Aaron Wan-Bissaka was next to sign after United reached a £45m (potentially rising to £50m) agreement with Crystal Palace.
Irwin has been pleasantly ‘surprised’ by Wan-Bissaka’s performances at right-back considering the youngster started his career as a winger.
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“I saw him play for Palace quite a bit last year, and he only played for the Palace first team for 15 months,” Irwin told the official Manchester United website.
“He spent [his younger] years as a right winger, so what surprises me is how good he is defensively. Not just the tackling, because we saw that last year and in the first four games of this season, but the positions he takes up are very good.
“You always worry about a winger when they transform into a full-back, it can take them a while to get used to that.
“He seems really good at that. Obviously he’s a young lad and has a lot to learn yet, but he’s been a real plus.
“Last year we conceded 54 goals in 38 games. That’s not really Manchester United, we’ve always been good defensively. We need to strengthen, which we have done, and we need to keep more clean sheets.”
As things stand, Wan-Bissaka has made more tackles (26) than any other player in the Premier League.
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He only received his first call-up to the senior England squad but had to withdraw due to a back injury.
Irwin also heaped praise on James, claiming the Welshman has been a ‘joy to watch’ since joining the club.
“He’s a player that can play on both wings and can cut in on his left and right. I think we’ve seen that already,” the Corkman added.
“He’s not afraid to run at players with his pace and you always want players like that to chip in with goals.
“But to score three in four is a really great start for him. Some of the balls he puts in, particular in the latter stages against Southampton last Saturday, were a joy to watch.
“He’s been brilliant.”
Fingers crossed the new pair can kick on, as well as their teammates. None of the new signings have been at fault for recent results and we demand more from their peers.
