Aaron Wan-Bissaka has named Marcus Rashford as the player he finds it toughest to go up against in Manchester United training, and says taking on the England international has made him into a better player.
The right-back joined United from Crystal Palace last summer in a £45 million deal, and the 22-year-old has enjoyed a strong first season at Old Trafford, making 34 club appearances amid increasing calls for him to win his first senior England cap.
In a fan Q&A on the official club website, Wan-Bissaka says his skills as a defender have been enhanced by taking on top-class opposition every day in training, especially pacy forward Rashford.
Wan-Bissaka said of Rashford: “He’s just so unpredictable. When I first joined United and came up against him in training, he was doing things that I just really didn’t expect.
“I thought he’d go a certain way and he’d go the other way, or I thought he was about to do one thing and he did another, so he’s really tricky to play against. I enjoy that though; it’s been really good for my own development to test myself against him and the other attackers we have at the club.”
Wan-Bissaka also revealed which United star of the past he most wished he could play alongside, going for a key midfield member of the Class of ’92 and the treble-winning side of 1999.
He said: “There have been a lot, but I’ll say Paul Scholes. I always enjoyed watching him, particularly his technique and his composure on the ball, but his finishing was special.
“I always used to really like watching him playing for United and he’d be great to play alongside.”
Wan-Bissaka’s rise to stardom has been meteoric, going from reserve winger to making his Premier League debut at right-back in February 2018 in a matter of months.
Asked for any tips for young players on defending, he stressed a need for commitment and hard work which allowed him to learn a new position in the latter stages of his youth career.
He said: “I only became a defender quite late in my own development, and it took a lot of patience. You have to keep working on yourself non-stop, you have to keep testing yourself, even if it doesn’t go right.
“It took time for me to get success as a defender so, if you stick with it, eventually it will go right. Push yourself, always have faith and believe in yourself.”
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