It was easy to forget that Manchester United had won a Premier League fixture in such a dramatic fashion just a few hours earlier after the explosive bombshell that was dropped by Piers Morgan and Cristiano Ronaldo at 10pm on Sunday evening.
After former Reds winger Daniel James scored an equalizer just past the hour mark to cancel out Christian Eriksen's opening goal, it appeared as though Manchester United would be leaving for the World Cup break with a disheartening total of four points from their last three matches. However, they were able to win their fourth consecutive match. In spite of this, up-and-coming star Alejandro Garnacho scored the game-winning goal in the 93rd minute after coming off the bench. He demonstrated that he is the most composed player in London.
As Erik ten Hag and the rest of his coaching staff celebrated what they knew to be an extremely significant goal, it set off wild scenes not only on the field but also in the away end at Craven Cottage and on the touchline. The heroics of Garnacho, which only required one kick of the ball, made a significant impact on the atmosphere that will be felt around Old Trafford during the break in play.
The truth is that Fulham had a legitimate attacking threat for the majority of the game and had the opportunity to score more goals than the one they did manage to get. However, they were only able to score one goal. Anthony Martial was the key to much of United's success, and they carried a good threat going forward thanks to him. On the other hand, United carried a good threat going forward.
United appeared to have some weaknesses in their defense, particularly down their right side. This was especially true of the right side. In the absence of Diogo Dalot, who was serving a one-match suspension after collecting his fifth booking of the season in the 3-1 loss to Aston Villa a week earlier, Ten Hag decided to thrust Tyrell Malacia into somewhat unfamiliar territory by playing him at right-back. Dalot had been issued the suspension after receiving his fifth booking of the season in the 3-1 loss to Aston Villa.
The Dutchman is a seasoned left-back and was acquired from Feyenoord during the summer. However, prior to Sunday's visit to Craven Cottage, he had experienced minutes on the other side of the defense, albeit in limited flashes earlier this season. The Dutchman was a summer acquisition. When the teamsheet was published an hour before the start of the game, nobody was surprised by Ten Hag's decision to use his fellow countryman in that particular role.
Almost no one anticipated that Ten Hag, in Dalot's absence, would play Aaron Wan-Bissaka in his place, despite the fact that he is the Portuguese's understudy. This came as a surprise to virtually everyone. The player, a former member of Crystal Palace who joined the Reds in 2019, has only played a total of four minutes of football so far this season, making it abundantly clear that Ten Hag's plans do not include him either in the immediate future or in the distant future.
This season, he has only made one appearance, and it was as a substitute in the final minutes of United's 2-1 victory over Liverpool back in August. Even when Ten Hag decided to switch up his lineup for Europa League games and for the Carabao Cup match against Aston Villa a week ago, Wan-Bissaka was not included in the rotation of players. Since the Reds' 4-0 loss to Liverpool at Anfield back in April, he has not been given the opportunity to start for the club.
As there is mounting evidence to suggest that Ten Hag does not consider the 24-year-old to be a part of his plans, United should make getting rid of him one of their top priorities during the upcoming transfer window in January. Keeping a player who has not made any significant strides since joining the club and who does not feature in the manager's plans in any way, shape, or form is a waste of time and resources.
The fact that Wan-Bissaka was not even considered for a starting position when United's first-choice right back was sidelined speaks volumes about how Ten Hag views Wan-Bissaka and where he sees him fitting into his plans. At Old Trafford, surely the fact that a left back was starting at right back instead of him was the final straw that broke the camel's back for him.
United is in serious need of a new right back, and many of the club's fans believe that this strategy should have been pursued during the summer transfer window, but with the intention that the newly acquired player would take the top spot in the team's depth chart. Because of his stellar play this year, Dalot has firmly established himself as Ten Hag's first choice right back. As a result, any new right back who joins the team would have to be willing to play in a supporting role, at least for the time being.
However, even though it is a good idea to acquire a new right-back in order to give Dalot some healthy competition and cover, the priority for United should be to get rid of Wan-Bissaka as soon as possible, even though this will be easier said than done. Wan-Bissaka should be moved on before anyone else. The fact that Ten Hag chose to exclude him once more at Fulham sheds light on the situation.
