Aaron Wan-Bissaka has officially joined Manchester United after the club confirmed his £50m deal on Saturday morning.
The young England Under-21 international moves to Old Trafford with a blossoming reputation, but the transfer comes with its own added pressure as he wears the price tag of equalling the biggest deal for an English defender in matching Kyle Walker’s move from Tottenham to Manchester City.
Wan-Bissaka also makes the switch after just one season in the Premier League, representing a large risk vs reward move by United who are looking to revamp their squad under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
The 21-year-old arrives as a direct replacement for Antonio Valencia, but it appears that he will not take the former United captain’s old shirt number, meaning the No 25 remains vacant for now.
And while United are yet to officially confirmed which shirt number Wan-Bissaka will wear, it appears that he will continue to wear the one that he took on at Crystal Palace in the form of the No 29 shirt.
It means he will follow in the footsteps of his former Palace teammate Wilfried Zaha, who wore the No 29 during his ill-fated and short-lived time at Old Trafford.
Other players to have worn the No 29 shirt are James Wilson, goalkeeper Tomasz Kuszczak, Jonathan Spector, Alex Notman, Michael Appleton and Ben Thorley, meaning that Wan-Bissaka becomes just the eighth player to wear the shirt in the Premier League era.
Speaking after completing his record-equalling transfer, Wan-Bissaka said: “It’s an unbelievable feeling and an honour to call myself a Manchester United player and something I know that only a small number of players have the privilege to say.
“I can’t wait to get going and integrated into the squad. I will have a short break now after the European Championships but I’m looking forward to starting training with the manager and my new team-mates on the pre-season tour.”
His new manager, Solskjaer, added: “Aaron is one of the best upcoming defenders in the Premier League. He has the right work ethic, talent and mentality to play for Manchester United and he fits exactly the type of player that we are looking to bring into the squad to help us improve and push on further.
“Aaron is a young, hungry player and eager to learn and that’s important at his age. I am delighted he has signed with us and we look forward to continuing his tremendous development so far.”
