Diogo Dalot deserves his new deal but a part of him might have been quietly relieved to have been shown an act of faith from his manager.
The right-back was never destined for the exit door but after a stellar first half of the season, he has slipped behind Aaron Wan-Bissaka in the pecking order. Dalot played every game he was available for before the World Cup which comprised 20 starts.
Just 17 have followed in the 40 matches since then and five of those have been at left-back. He might have inked his signature on the dotted line that bit quicker on Wednesday as a result.
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The resurgence of Wan-Bissaka was unexpected and pleasantly surprising. He has now played a total of 2,480 minutes this season but just four of them came before mid-season break.
The 2019 £50m signing has kept the likes of Phil Foden, Sergi Roberto and Gabriel Martinelli at bay this campaign and put in a brilliant defensive shift against Allan Saint-Maximin in the League Cup final after coming on for a struggling Dalot.
So it is no surprise that Wan-Bissaka - who was offered to other clubs in the summer - has impressed officials at United. He has 12 months left on his current contract with the option for a further year’s extension.
While Dalot’s new contract is a renewal of faith, there seems to be no such concrete backing from United regarding an extension or anything more beyond kind words for Wan-Bissaka. It’s not panic stations but United’s contact with Bayer Leverkusen right-back Jeremie Frimpong makes for slight unease for the former Crystal Palace player.
There still remains a few unanswered questions about his future in Ten Hag’s side. A West Ham move and a Crystal Palace return have been mooted but United figures believe he has a future at Old Trafford beyond the summer.
But if Frimpong is to be signed, then that backs Wan-Bissaka into a corner - stay and compete with two players for one spot, or leave. After all, it wouldn't be Dalot going.
What does work in Wan-Bissaka’s favour is that Frimpong is an attack-minded talent who has played wing-back for the most part of this season, grabbing an impressive nine goals and 11 assists.
Wan-Bissaka is brilliantly sound defensively, and he would be a nice counterbalance option to Frimpong. In light of Dalot’s fresh contract, though, any arrival at right-back would nudge the Englishman towards the door.
We are not at that stage yet but a crossroads of some sort feels inevitable. United would rather receive a fee than ultimately let him go for free.
Wan-Bissaka will likely start the FA Cup final ahead of Dalot and be trusted to quell either Jack Grealish or Foden again in what oddly could be both his final game and his best day in a United shirt, should they win.
Anticipating an exit is jumping the gun right now, but it’s not out of the equation. It’s the elephant in the room but Wan-Bissaka deserves some clarity and have these questions about his future answered.
A Manchester Evening News special souvenir edition - Fergie's First - charts United's 1992/93 title-winning campaign and you can get your hands on one here
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