Sky Sports reporter says Ten Hag has sent "big message" to player, his Man Utd career could be over

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has already made it clear to Aaron Wan-Bissaka that he is surplus to requirements at Old Trafford, a Sky Sports reporter has suggested.

Wan-Bissaka, 25, has struggled for minutes since Ten Hag was appointed United boss in the summer.

The England international has made just one appearance lasting only four minutes this season, with Diogo Dalot largely preferred at right-back.

Wan-Bissaka is being strongly linked with a move away from United in the January window, less than four years after joining the club in a £50m move from Crystal Palace.

Sky Sports journalist Dharmesh Sheth believes Ten Hag gave a clear indication that Wan-Bissaka is not in his plans when he did not play the defender in Manchester United's last Premier League game against Fulham.

Dalot was unavailable through suspension, with United’s manager instead opting for left-back Tyrell Malacia to start in that position. Manchester United would go on to win the game 2-1 thanks to a late strike from Alejandro Garnacho.

"If you look at what happened in the last game before the World Cup break, United went to Craven Cottage," Sheth told GiveMeSport.

"Diogo Dalot was suspended for that game, and you would have expected Aaron Wan-Bissaka to fill in.

"But Wan-Bissaka wasn’t even in the squad at all, which probably sends a big message out to him to say; 'look for another club.'"

Fabrizio Romano told GiveMeSport back in August that United were reluctant to allow Wan-Bissaka to leave as they had not lined up a replacement for him in the summer window.

But with the January transfer window now just a few weeks away, there is a good chance that he could be sold.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka: A player not suited to the times?

After breaking through at Crystal Palace, Wan-Bissaka appeared to have the world at his feet following his big-money move to Manchester United in 2019.

With so many full-backs celebrated for their qualities going forward, Wan-Bissaka’s unique selling point was his ability to defend. Known for his tackling, Wan-Bissaka made 129 tackles and 66 interceptions in his debut season for Manchester United. A move to Manchester United was a reward for a player who had done incredibly well at Crystal Palace.

Yet, deficiencies have also been exposed in Wan-Bissaka’s style of play. In the era of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Reece James and Joao Cancelo, Wan-Bissaka has looked comparatively weak as an attacking threat for Manchester United. In the Premier League, Wan-Bissaka has registered just eight assists across nearly three and a half seasons for Manchester United, including zero assists last season. For comparison, Alexander-Arnold registered 12 assists last season alone. This has led to Diogo Dalot taking Wan-Bissaka’s place in the side, and Wan-Bissaka struggling significantly for game time this campaign.

With Ten Hag favouring Dalot and not utilising Wan-Bissaka as a back up in the Fulham game, the suggestion is that the 25-year-old’s tenure at Manchester United could nearly be over.