When Diogo Dalot was forced off in the first-half of Manchester United's League Cup quarter-final win over Charlton in January, there was concern about the impact that his absence would have on the team. The Portuguese ace had been in good form for the Reds prior to the World Cup, but the fact that he hasn't been missed shows how well Aaron Wan-Bissaka has performed in his place.
United defender Dalot, who was in the Old Trafford directors' box for the 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest on Wednesday night, started in 20 of the first 21 matches prior to the World Cup, and the only one he missed was through suspension. He returned from Qatar having picked up an injury, and did not feature until the win over Bournemouth last month.
With the 23-year-old out of action, it provided out-of-favour Wan-Bissaka with an opportunity to impress, despite having appeared surplus to requirement earlier in the campaign. The English right-back, who cost United £45m plus £5m in add-ons, has started in United's last six league games, having only played four minutes all season prior to the World Cup.
