Former Man United midfielder warns Southgate over Wan-Bissaka exclusion

Aaron Wan-Bissaka has struggled to impress Gareth Southgate since his move to Manchester United in 2019, having only been called up to the senior squad once. The right-back was forced to withdraw from the camp after suffering a back injury in training with the Three Lions.

But two years on, the England manager has barely batted an eye in his direction, leaving Wan-Bissaka contemplating his international allegiance. The 23-year-old is eligible to feature for DR Congo.

Former United midfielder Luke Chadwick has warned Gareth Southgate that he could regret the decision to leave Wan-Bissaka out, arguing that it’s ‘quite strange’ that his name is rarely in the England conversation.

“I think it’s quite strange that he’s not been thought of in that position,” Chadwick told CaughtOffside. “It’s common knowledge what a good one-on-one defender he is.

“When England go to major tournaments, in the latter stages of it, when you’re playing the likes of Spain or France you’re going to give up a bit of possession, and I think Wan-Bissaka’s shown, against some of the world’s best like Neymar in the Paris Saint-Germain games, that there’s no one better at one-on-one defending.

“It does look like Southgate is trying to change the way England play, to have hold of possession more, but to do that against the best teams is going to be a struggle, and it’s not like Wan-Bissaka can’t keep hold of the ball.”

Wan-Bissaka will instead have a full summer to rest ahead of next season, having featured in nearly every game for Solskjær last season. United are short of right-backs to challenge and come in when Wan-Bissaka needs to rest, prompting their pursuit of Kieran Trippier.

Solskjær has reportedly even considered changing Wan-Bissaka’s position, an experiment we could see in this years pre-season.

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