The reason Aaron Wan-Bissaka played at left-back in Tottenham draw

Right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka was asked to defend from the opposite flank in Sunday’s 2-2 draw against Tottenham Hotspur.

Much to our surprise in the stands, Wan-Bissaka occupied the left-back position at Old Trafford on Sunday evening. It has since been revealed that the player only found out he was starting on the morning of the match.

The Reds prepared to face Tottenham with Luke Shaw starting at left-back. The England international has yet to return from a recent injury, but Erik ten Hag confirmed after the match that he was not fully match fit while explaining his reason for starting Wan-Bissaka on the left when Diogo Dalot was in the side.

“On Monday against Wigan, he played for a part of it,” Ten Hag told reporters, as per the Manchester Evening News.

“We expected Luke Shaw, we trained with Luke Shaw in preparation for this game, but this morning he dropped out, not fit enough to start.

“To then change back in what we trained in what was our game plan, then we had to adapt too much. So we decided to put Azza on the left and keep Diogo on the right side.”

This means United were dealt a blow prior to the game because pre-match plans had to be changed, but not completely because the manager decided to change as little as he could.

Dalot would usually play at left-back if United were limited to two full-backs. He has played the role before, whereas this was a step into the unknown for Wan-Bissaka.

To his credit, though, I thought Wan-Bissaka was among United’s strongest performers against Spurs. He carried out the role well.

Rasmus Hojlund added to his tally for the season and Marcus Rashford scored United’s second, but unfortunately the Reds were unable to keep a hold of their lead after the break. The Danish striker is now our outright top scorer and he will be aiming to finish the campaign strongly, even if the results aren’t great.

Get the latest Manchester United news, opinion, interviews and exclusive features with the Stretty Newsletter – Ad Free! Kick off your afternoon with the Stretty News verdict on all matters Manchester United.