Ten Hag's assessment of Aaron Wan-Bissaka

The right-back made only four appearances across all competitions during the first half of the season, but he has completely transformed his standing since Christmas to become a star performer - and perhaps an unsung hero in our squad. 

An injury to Diogo Dalot provided Aaron with his opportunity in late December and it is fair to say he grabbed it with both hands.

Thanks to his hard work, professional attitude and impressive displays, the tough-tackling defender has now played 32 games this campaign. 

During Tuesday’s episode of The Debate, Wan-Bissaka was referenced as a Player of the Year contender by Class of ’92 graduate and MUTV commentator Ben Thornley, who has been blown away by the right-back's resurgence. 

“I'm going to go for something a little bit different and I am actually going to say Aaron Wan-Bissaka,” explained Ben. “That's because of the situation he found himself in before the World Cup started, when he was out in the cold and looked like he was on his way out of Manchester United. 

“It's not only the fact that he has got back in and worked so hard, but also his level of performance in the second half of the season. A lot of people are going for the obvious - Rashford, Martinez, Casemiro, maybe even De Gea - but I'm going to go for Wan-Bissaka.”

When we put Thornley’s take to Ten Hag in our interview, the manager agreed Aaron has done brilliantly and said his attitude is representative of a squad that is determined to develop. 

“He has improved a lot, as many players have improved during the season,” Erik told us, within the Jimmy Murphy Centre at Carrington. 

“That's one of the jobs for a manager and the coaching staff, to get that done and we are really happy with it, that players are developing. 

“Always the team spirit is the base and if players understand that, if they can set their egos aside, then you will see that the team develops and progresses.

“And then within the team's progress, individuals make a lot of progress and Aaron is definitely one of them.”

Fans can still vote for the Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year below; the winner will be announced on Monday evening, 29 May.

United v Chelsea kicks off at 20:00 BST tonight (Thursday).