Manchester United have spent a lot of money on full-backs in recent years but somehow it remains a troubled position.
Ralf Rangnick has plenty of options at his disposal, with two senior players for each flank, yet the interim manager has struggled to settle on his first choices. That's testament to how much they have all floundered this season, along with many others in the side.
Diogo Dalot, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Alex Telles have all arrived at the club in the lpst three years at a combined price of around £83million — and then you can add Luke Shaw on top of that who cost £33.75million in 2014. Despite the wealth of funds spent on full-backs, United may very well have to dip into the market for another in the summer due to many of them underperforming.
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But for the rest of the season United are stuck with what they've got and below MEN Sport ranks United's full-backs from best to worst on current form...
1 - Diogo Dalot
It's been some turnaround for Dalot, who went from hardly getting a sniff under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and being loaned out to AC Milan, to being United's best full-back, on form at least. That's not to say he is the finished article but he is certainly enjoying a better season than his full-back colleagues.
Along with Jadon Sancho, Dalot has been a big benefactor of Rangnick's arrival as his energy down the flank, confidence on the ball and willingness to attack has suited how the German wants to play much better than Wan-Bissaka. Until recently, the former Crystal Palace man held his spot unopposed despite countless poor performances and Dalot's immersion has shown that Solskjaer really should have given him a proper chance.
It shouldn't go unmentioned how much the Portuguese has improved the defensive side of his game since his year in Italy. He still has a lot of improving to do, especially with his crossing, but he's playing better than the rest of the club's full-backs at present.
2 - Luke Shaw
After the high of his sublime season and scoring in the Euros final last year, Shaw has been on a downward trend again this term. It's been a shame to see as the left-back enjoyed the year of his life in 2021 but, perhaps due to fatigue after such a busy summer and picking up a few different injuries, he has been unable to reach those heights again.
Shaw remains a very good player, however, and only the resurgent form of Dalot keeps him off top spot. He remains composed on the ball and a threat going forward but has struggled at the back like the rest of the side.
3 - Alex Telles
After hardly getting a look-in last season, Telles has been a much more regular feature in the team in the current campaign and has been decent while doing so. He can be prone to mistakes at the back — as seen when he gave away a penalty against Tottenham — but his quality crosses and set-piece deliveries are up there with the best at the club.
His directness on the flanks makes him a good option when a back-three is deployed or when United are chasing games, with his introduction in the first leg of the Champions League defeat to Atletico Madrid helping United to rescue a draw.
4 - Aaron Wan-Bissaka
Wan-Bissaka's stock couldn't be much lower right now. Since arriving at Old Trafford for £50million and being heralded as England's future at right-back, his playing style has been made criticised at the top level. As the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Reece James and Joao Cancelo have shown, full-backs at the biggest clubs these days need to be excellent on the ball and going forward to be effective and, after three years in Manchester, Wan-Bissaka hasn't improved in that area enough.
If anything, he has started to go backwards and his defensive play, which usually bailed him out of trouble, has been suspect at times this season we wll.
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5 - Brandon Williams
A season at the doomed Norwich City was never going to be easy, especially for a defender, but Brandon Williams seems to have made an impression in East Anglia. The academy graduate won the Canaries' Player of the Month for January and he has endeared himself to fans with his passion, tireless effort and willingness to throw himself in front of shots and bodies.
Some Norwich fans have even called for Willaims to be named Player of the Season, too, and they will no doubt be hoping to have him back at Carrow Road next season. Should the versatile full-back return to Manchester, though, United look like they'll be getting a much-improved player.
Disagree with our rankings? Let us know in the comments below.
6 - Ethan Laird
Another United prospect out on loan is Ethan Laird but it isn't going quite as well for the right-back. After enjoying great success at Swansea in the first half of the season his loan spell was cut short in January and he joined promotion-chasing Bournemouth instead.
However, he has made just two substitute appearances on the south coast and has even struggled to make the bench for many recent matches. It must be frustrating considering how well Larid was doing in Wales but he has still shown enough this season to earn a chance to impress in pre-season.
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