Departing Manchester United boss Ralf Rangnick has been accused of making right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka a "scapegoat" amid his side's disastrous end to the season.
Wan-Bissaka started the campaign as the Red Devils' first-choice fullback, but has slipped down the pecking order since Rangnick took charge. Instead, Diogo Dalot has been promoted above the Englishman, who has featured in just seven of United's last 24 Premier League games.
It marks an astonishing change of fortunes for the 24-year-old, who arrived at Old Trafford in a £50million deal from Crystal Palace in 2019. But he looks to increasingly be a major flop, having failed to convince many that he should be United's first-choice right-back going forward.
Wan-Bissaka's end to the current campaign has been just as wretched as United's, with the Englishman losing all of his last three starts. But former United star Paul Parker believes the criticism Wan-Bissaka has faced has been unfair.
Parker, who won two Premier League titles with the Red Devils, instead believes that Rangnick has made Wan-Bissaka a scapegoat as his reign falls apart. The former England international insisted that it was obvious the much-maligned Wan-Bissaka is a better option than Dalot.
“Because after what’s going on at Manchester United, in the way the press talks about him, he’s been made a little bit of a scapegoat, to be perfectly honest. If I look at it, is (Diego) Dalot a better player than Wan-Bissaka? No, he’s not,” Parker told MyBettingSites.
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“No way, all-around, you’re better off with Wan-Bissaka there (at right-back) than with Dalot, cause when you look at some things first and foremost you want a right-back who can defend and they haven’t got that."
With his playing opportunities growing increasingly limited, Wan-Bissaka could look to leave United this summer, with Atletico Madrid reportedly interested in signing him. Parker encouraged Wan-Bissaka to take advantage of that interest, stating his belief that a move to the La Liga giants would be the perfect way to resurrect his career.
“If he is gonna go to Spain, which is more technical and help improve him, go to play for Atletico Madrid. The one thing that Atletico Madrid would love about him is that he ain’t gonna need much coaching about how to defend in one against one," Parker added.
"He would learn a little bit more about unity within a back four in a traditional sense. Hopefully, he won’t come back too ill-disciplined, cause there’s always a chance when you go and play for Atletico Madrid for (Diego) Simeone. The way they play.
"But I think if it is going to happen, it will serve him well to go there and maybe to come back. It might be a really good move for him just to go on and play in that league. Maybe it will be a good learning process for him.”
A exit for Wan-Bissaka could be part of the major overhaul that is coming at Old Trafford this summer. Erik ten Hag will replace Rangnick as the Red Devils' manager and is set to make huge changes as he attempts to turn around their fortunes.
