His days at Old Trafford looked numbered before the manager had even put pictures up of his family in his new office. It became clear very early on that Ten Hag didn&apost rate Wan-Bissaka and a new right-back was immediately made one of the top targets in his first summer window.
But as was the dire state of United&aposs unbalanced squad, several other positions took precedence with two new midfielders, a centre-back and a right-winger all being recruited instead. When that business was done time and money were running out.
A half-hearted attempt to bring Sergino Dest in on loan failed and Ten Hag was forced to settle with the options already at his disposal. Even still, it wasn&apost good news for Wan-Bissaka as Diogo Dalot was first choice.
The Portuguese started the first 13 Premier League matches in succession with his run in the side only ending due to a suspension. But Dalot would then pick up an injury during the World Cup which would see him miss nine of the following 10 matches.
It was a rare opening for Wan-Bissaka and one he took with both hands. Fans had panicked at the prospect of the former Crystal Palace man returning to the fold after an underwhelming first three seasons at the club.
Yet, Wan-Bissaka began to show signs of massive improvement. His confidence looked renewed, his prowess in the tackle returned, his reading of the game improved as did his much-maligned ability going forward.
By the end of the campaign, the 25-year-old has dislodged Dalot as first choice and that has continued into the new season, starting all four matches so far. It&aposs a fairytale turnaround that has typified Ten Hag&aposs reign so far and Wan-Bissaka could soon get a chance to show just how far he&aposs come.
No player in a team works in isolation and a player&aposs performance can often depend on what those around them are doing, how well they are playing, where they are positioned and how much they are helping out. A full-back often relies on the winger in front of him to provide defensive support as well as an attacking link-up, a good relationship between the two players can be very fruitful.
Yet, United face returning to action this weekend without any senior right-wingers to partner with Wan-Bissaka. Antony will be unavailable due to a leave of absence and Jadon Sancho could be absent as well.
Sancho challenged Ten Hag in a now-deleted tweet after the manager said he left him out of the squad to face Arsenal due to his poor performances in training. Ten Hag will talk to the media on Friday and will be asked for an update on the situation but it&aposs hard to see him returning to the side after such a public bust-up.
But without him, United are left with Facundo Pellistri as their only natural option for the right flank, given Amad remains sidelined. The Uruguayan has looked promising when given a chance but Ten Hag has been reluctant to give him many and he is yet to start a league match for United.
If Pellistri doesn&apost get the nod, it will likely be up to either Bruno Fernandes or Mason Mount to man the flank. None of the options are particularly ideal for Wan-Bissaka.
The right-back will either have a winger with just 78 minutes of Premier League experience in front of him or a player who would much rather be playing in the middle. Either way, there&aposs a good chance Wan-Bissaka will be left exposed on occasion.
