‘Wan-Bissaka is like rubber, the way he bends!’ – Ighalo hails Man Utd star as ‘one of the best’

The Red Devils’ on-loan striker has paid tribute to the skills of the highly-rated defender, with the 22-year-old being tipped to reach the very top

Aaron Wan-Bissaka “is like rubber, the way he bends”, says Odion Ighalo, with said to have acquired “one of the best right-backs”.

The Red Devils invested £50 million ($63m) in the highly-rated defender during the summer transfer window of 2019.

Wan-Bissaka was snapped up from Premier League rivals , with his potential bought into after just one full season as a senior star at Selhurst Park.

The 22-year-old has slotted seamlessly into the fold at Old Trafford, with his debut campaign seeing him earn plenty of plaudits.

Ighalo is among those to have been impressed by the youngster, with the Nigerian having only linked up with United in January.

Wan-Bissaka’s ability to contain opponents and get tackles in are considered to be his biggest strengths, with few getting the better of him in one-on-one battles.

“The guy is one of the best right-backs,” on-loan striker Ighalo told Juliet Bawuah on Periscope.

“His waist is like rubber, the way he bends and steals the ball.

“I think this guy is going to get injured and then next second he’s going again. He’s very difficult to get past.

“He’s a very, very good player. His work-rate is amazing.”

Ighalo has been getting a good look at Wan-Bissaka during United training sessions.

As a frontman, the Nigerian could be expected to have come into direct competition with a club colleague on a regular basis as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer puts his players through their paces.

He has, however, sought to steer clear of a combative presence that takes no prisoners.

Pressed on whether he has tangled with Wan-Bissaka in training, Ighalo said with a smile: “I’m a striker, so I want to stay in the middle.”

Ighalo is not the first to have paid tribute to Wan-Bissaka’s somewhat unconventional style when it comes to keeping opposition forwards under wraps.

Former Palace coach Richard Shaw has told United’s Unscripted series: “It’s well known that Az wasn’t always a right-back.

“I used him as a winger on either side, and even then, at 16, he had wonderful defensive responsibility – it was just his end product we were trying to work on.

“He was a great defensive midfield player too. He had these long legs, so when you think you’ve got past him, he’d tackle you when you thought you’d gotten away.

"It was absolutely incredible. These go-go-gadget legs come from nowhere, just when you think you’ve got past him. Bang. He’s got you.”