Wan-Bissaka almost joined Coventry on a free

Aaron Wan-Bissaka might have left Crystal Palace for League One side Coventry City before he joined Manchester United.

The 22-year-old right-back, who has won three caps for England at under-21 level, has emerged as one of the bright sparks of what has been a difficult campaign for the Red Devils, having made the switch to Old Trafford in the summer for £50 million ($65m).

Had fate been different, though, he could have found himself playing in a very different setting. 

“There’s some there that come out of scope. A great example is Aaron Wan-Bissaka, I tried to get him on a free to Coventry and was close, really close,” the club’s former head of recruitment Tommy Widdrington told the Bristol Post.

“But then he got into the Palace team due to two freak injuries, I had watched him at the under-23s playing on the wing for months and said to Mark that this kid’s going to be a good full-back; he’s not yet, but he will be. Then off he went.”

Previously, Mark Bright has explained that in January 2018, the player was so frustrated with his lack of opportunities at Selhurst Park that he tried to force a move away.

“Amazingly on transfer deadline day he asked me if he could go out on loan,” he told the Sun.

“I asked the manager and he refused, but as I was telling him the manager came down and told him ‘if you stay here you will be training with Yohan Cabaye, Wilf [Zaha] and Andros Townsend’.

“‘You might even get a chance here’, that was the last thing he said to him.

“Five days later he made his first-team debut.

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“I would have sent him out on loan as there were two clubs who wanted him and we would have never known.

“He, without knowing it, gives all those below and in his age group hope that at this football club, if you work hard enough and develop, you will get in the team.”

Wan-Bissaka has played 15 times for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side this season, including 11 Premier League matches.