RIO FERDINAND HAS said that Aaron Wan-Bissaka must learn patience and add timing to his game after an error cost Manchester United in a 1-0 loss to Bournemouth, but added that the young full-back has time on his side as well as an already impressive skillset for his age.
The Red Devils fell to a well-organised Cherries side on Saturday despite coming into the match off the back of three straight away wins, with the visitors unable to break down their stubborn hosts over the course of 90 minutes.
Josh King, a former Man Utd player, scored the only goal of the match after expertly taking down Adam Smith’s cross before rolling Wan-Bissaka and finishing low and hard past David de Gea.
And Ferdinand, an ex-United defender himself, broke down what the 21-year-old did wrong in the build-up to King’s winner.
“What happens as a defender in that situation is you think ‘Don’t let him score, don’t let him score, don’t let him score!’ and anxiety just builds up in an instant inside you,” Ferdinand said on BT Sport.
“Top defenders in that situation go: ‘Right. There’s clarity. He’s gonna go back to his own goal, I’m gonna wait for him to make a move, then I’ll make my move.’
“It isn’t all fast, hundred-mile-an-hour thinking, and that’s what sets the good defenders, the good players, from the top players – you’ve got to be calm.
“Experience is a massive point. We could sit here and dissect Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s game – and there’s some great stuff about his game – he makes more recovery tackles than anyone in the league, and if he’s facing his own goal I’d back him in a foot race against anybody one vs one.
“But there are elements he’ll need to add to his game, like patience, timing and positioning at times, but that’s all to come and that’s why they bought him. Ole [Gunnar Solskjaer] bought him knowing all this.
“This isn’t the time to sit here and criticise him – ‘Is he this? Is he that?’ – that’s just one instance in the game where he got it wrong. I could get a 34-year-old and he could make the same mistake sometimes.”
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