Man Utd could land £17m Wan-Bissaka upgrade who “made fun of Rashford”

Manchester United have endured a difficult season so far as they have struggled domestically and in Europe throughout the 2023/24 campaign.

Erik ten Hag’s side secured a top four finish in the Premier League and won the League Cup in a solid first year in English football for the Dutch head coach.

However, he has not been able to kick on this season as his team have failed to perform on a consistent basis to compete for major trophies.

The Red Devils are currently sitting seventh in the Premier League table and are eight points adrift of the top four places as it stands, whilst having played one match more than Arsenal in fourth.

United also finished bottom of their Champions League group and do not have knockout European football to look forward to over the coming months.

The Red Devils are now reportedly interested in a deal to sign an impressive performer from one of their rivals in that group to bolster their defensive options.

Manchester United’s search for a new right-back

According to ESPN, the club are admirers of Galatasaray right-back Sacha Boey as they plot a revamp of their defence ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.

The report claims that United want to make changes to their options at the back with players coming in and out of Old Trafford over the next two transfer windows.

It states that they have an interest in central defenders Jarrad Branthwaite, Matthijs de Ligt, and Jean-Clair Todibo, with Raphael Varane and Jonny Evans both out of contract at the end of the season.

They are also prepared to cash in on Victor Lindelof or Harry Maguire if a ‘significant’ offer arrives on their desk for either of them this summer.

This suggests that they are keen to make wholesale changes to their options at the heart of the defence to improve the spine of ten Hag’s squad.

However, they are also looking at the full-back positions as Boey is a right-back by trade and would come in to compete with Diogo Dalot and Aaron Wan-Bissaka.

There is no mention of whether or not United are prepared to make an offer for the talented gem or whether they would like to bring him in this month or in five months.

ESPN do not state how much Galatasaray would want for their star defender but Turkish outlet Fanatik touted a potential fee of €20m (£17m) for him earlier this season.

If they are able to strike a deal to sign the French whiz over the next 12 days or so, though, then ten Hag could secure a big upgrade on Wan-Bissaka at right-back.

Wan-Bissaka’s limitations on the right flank

The current United defender is a solid and reliable option for ten Hag but he is a limited player due to his lack of quality in possession down the right flank.

Wan-Bissaka, first and foremost, does provide value off the ball for the side. He currently ranks fifth and first in the squad for tackles (2.1) and interceptions (1.7) per match in the Premier League respectively.

He has also won 59% of his physical duels across 12 top-flight appearances and this suggests that opposition players have found it difficult to get the better of him in 50/50 contests.

However, the English full-back ranks 17th within the squad for key passes (0.4) per game – below the likes of Lindelof, Lisandro Martinez, and Casemiro.

Over the last 365 days, Wan-Bissaka sits within the bottom 45% of full-backs in the Men’s Big Five Leagues and European competitions for assists (0.06) per 90.

He also ranks within the bottom 47% of his positional peers for progressive passes (3.70) and the bottom 23% for shot-creating actions (1.58) respectively per 90.

These statistics show that the 26-year-old enforcer is a below-average performer when it comes to creating chances for his teammates and making things happen in the final third.

Therefore, there is room for United to improve their team by signing a right-back who can provide quality at both ends of the pitch – as Boey could.

The stats that show why Boey could be better than Wan-Bissaka

The 23-year-old dynamo is a progressive full-back who has the ability to make an impact in the final third, whilst still being a solid defender for his side.

Over the last 365 days, Boey ranks within the top 2% of full-backs in the Men’s Big Five Leagues and European competitions for tackles (3.33) per 90 and the top 7% or higher for blocks (1.67), clearances (3.33), and aerial battles won (2.00) per 90 respectively.

He has also averaged 3.4 tackles and interceptions combined and 6.4 ball recoveries per game across 18 appearances in the Turkish top-flight this season.

These statistics suggest that the Galatasaray star is not a liability at the back and has the ability to cut out opposition attacks at an impressive rate, as has been the case with Wan-Bissaka this term.

However, Boey could be a big upgrade on the former Crystal Palace man due to his superior quality in possession when it comes to creating chances and progressing the play.

United got a first-hand glimpse of his silky skills on the ball when he “made fun of Rashford” – as per journalist Furkan Bozoglu – with a delightful nutmeg on the right flank at Old Trafford in the Champions League earlier this season, as shown in the clip above.

The defender appeared to be in a difficult position by the touchline as the Red Devils forward closed him down but cleverly worked his way out of trouble by using his dribbling.

As you can see in the table above, Boey has consistently offered progressive and attacking quality for Galatasaray on the right flank in Europe over the last year.

He has provided considerably more shot-creating actions and progressive passes per 90 than Wan-Bissaka, whilst they can both cut out opposition attacks at an impressive rate.

This means that the French whiz could elevate United’s attack by finding the likes of Rashford, who he made fun of, Alejandro Garnacho, and Bruno Fernandes in dangerous positions to then create or score goals more frequently than the English dud does.