Manchester United interim manager Ralf Rangnick has told Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Luke Shaw to sit on the bench – as he currently favours Diogo Dalot and Alex Telles.
That's according to ex-Leeds star Noel Whelan, who observes that the German has been suitably impressed by the back-up full-backs and has delivered the news to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's first-choice pair that they'll have to up their game to earn their places in the team back.
Rangnick famously demands high energy and hard pressing from his players. Telles and Dalot have bombed up and down the flanks in his early days in the dugout and the 63-year-old is said to see no reason to drop them when Shaw and Wan-Bissaka return.
Shaw has had a spiritual hangover following star performances at Euro 2020 – while Wan-Bissaka has had question marks over his attacking output for a while.
“Telles has done enough to keep his place. Shaw hasn’t been good enough,” Whelan told Football Insider.
“Wan-Bissaka is another one who has come in for criticism, the fans don’t really like his style. As a defender, he’s fantastic. But going forward it’s a different story, he’s not a natural wing-back.
“Telles and Dalot can do both. They’ve got that attacking presence, can deliver a bit more quality in that final third. Those full-back spots are their positions to lose, right now. With every new manager comes new favourite players and setups, and that’s what I think Rangnick is exploring right now.
“They’re winning football matches. Shaw and Wan-Bissaka can hardly go banging down the door of the manager asking why they’re not playing – it could well be a waiting game for them.”
Solskjaer put a lot of faith in both Shaw and Wan-Bissaka during his time in the Old Trafford dugout. The Norwegian was the one to revitalise Shaw's career, while he signed Wan-Bissaka after stunning displays at Crystal Palace. Though he wanted a new right-back in the summer, he was thought not to trust Diogo Dalot, who was signed by Jose Mourinho.
This latest report certainly implies that Rangnick disagrees, however, as United press on with the German's revolution.
