Ethan Laird's pending move to the Championship could be the saving grace for Aaron Wan-Bissaka's career at Manchester United.
Wing-back Laird went through a strange time last season. He was loaned out twice by United, first to Swansea City and then Bournemouth. Despite enjoying plenty of game-time at the mid-table Swans, his parent club decided to rip up the arrangement mid-season and re-despatch him to the Cherries.
Despite ending the campaign with a promotion on his CV, on a personal level it would be a disappointing spell with Laird featuring just six times for Scott Parker's side. Now, he is preparing for another temporary spell away from Old Trafford with a deal to send him to Watford on a season-long arrangement said to be close to completion.
The knock-on effect of this looks like being potentially a saving grace for Laird's colleague Wan-Bissaka. Despite the fact the former Crystal Palace player was not involved in United's final friendly of pre-season against Rayo Vallecano - his non-involvement was due to illness - the upcoming exit of Laird changes the landscape when it comes to Erik ten Hag's squad make-up in defence.
Once a first choice at right-back, Wan-Bissaka has fallen down the pecking order. Diogo Dalot has come in from the cold and appears to be Ten Hag's preferred option right now.
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Last month he was linked with a move for Denzel Dumfries but Laird's exit leaves the Dutch coach an option light and he would be loathe to let Wan-Bissaka, who arrived from Palace for £50m three years ago, leave too. Especially without bringing in sufficient replacements first.
Ten Hag's predecessor Ralf Rangnick suggested United would need to sign up to 10 new players this summer, but they've agreed deals for just three so far - Tyrell Malacia, Christian Eriksen and Lisandro Martinez. Frenkie de Jong and Antony remain on their radar.
Ten Hag has suggested he wants to work with the existing talent at Old Trafford instead of investing heavily, which could see Wan-Bissaka remain part of his plans. "The season before, this squad was second in the league, so there is huge potential," he said in May.
Laird, 20, is now set for the fourth loan spell of his career. His first taste was out at MK Dons in the second half of the 2020-21 season.
Speaking last season about his overall aims and ambitions, Laird said: “Of course, I want to be a Manchester United player but I have to work towards that step by step and that’s what I’m aiming to do now in every training session and in every match. (Loans) Are a great learning opportunity for me. Under-23s football is competitive too but playing first-team football is a different challenge. You are playing against established professionals and I’ve learned a lot from that.
“It’s an eye-opener as a young player because every little detail will help me in my development. Every single challenge and every successful game matters when you are playing men’s football, and if the manager puts his trust in me then it’s vital that I repay that faith."
