Manchester United ace Aaron Wan-Bissaka almost joined Coventry on a free transfer before being handed chance with Crystal Palace
Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s career could have taken a very different path altogether, after it was revealed he almost joined Coventry City on a free transfer.
The defender sealed a mega-money transfer to Manchester United from Crystal Palace back in July, with the Red Devils splashing out £50million to land Wan-Bissaka after a stunning debut campaign for the Eagles.
The full-back’s opportunity came in the Palace first-team after an injury crisis hit the defence, with Roy Hodgson subsequently drawing on his services as he made his debut against Tottenham in February 2018.
The following campaign, which was his first full season at Selhurst Park, saw him named the club’s player of the year before he left for Manchester.
But according to former Coventry City head of recruitment Tommy Widdrington, Wan-Bissaka could very well have ended up at St Andrews.
“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,” Widdrington said.
“But then he got into the Palace team due to two freak injuries, I had watched him at the U23s 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.”
Former Palace star Mark Bright has admitted Wan-Bissaka was so frustrated with his lack of playing time at Palace he asked to leave.
“Amazingly on transfer deadline day (January 2018) he asked me if he could go out on loan,” Bright 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.
“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.”
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The 21-year-old has settled in well at United and has already set a Premier League record, which came against Norwich last month.
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Wan-Bissaka won a mammoth 11 tackles during the contest, which finished 3-1 in United’s favour.
That accounts to quarter of the 44 tackles he has made so far this season, with the England Under-21 international currently sitting third in the overall rankings across the league.
It is also the second time the defender has made 10 or more tackles in a Premier League encounter this season, having also reached double figures (10) against Southampton in August.
As a result he became the first United player to do so since May 2012, when Patrice Evra featured for the Red Devils against Swansea.