AARON WAN-BISSAKA has revealed he has been putting in extra training sessions to keep raising the bar at Manchester United.
The England defender earned rave reviews after winning the latest instalment of his duel with compatriot Raheem Sterling during the Red Devils 2-0 win over rivals City at Old Trafford.
The 22-year-old made eight tackles, three interceptions and won 12 duels on his 26th league appearance of the season.
But Wan-Bissaka has also been given plaudits for his improved attacking displays in recent months and has admitted the key was down to staying behind after training with United’s coaching staff for extra work.
He told United Review: “I think that process has been going in the right direction.
“I’ve had help from the team and the coaches, showing me the way forward.
“I stay out after training to do extra sessions so that I keep improving all the time and I’m ready to play at my highest level every week.”
Wan-Bissaka marked England international Sterling out of the game as United kept their eighth clean sheet of the campaign on Sunday.
United are now unbeaten in their last 10 games in all competitions, and the full-back claimed their defence has grown in confidence.
He added: “I’d say the partnerships between us have improved and we’ve been growing together.
“You can see it in the clean sheets. That’s always the main aim: to get the clean sheet, then the team can get the win. I think it’s down to better communication.
“Sometimes the formation changes, so we’ve been getting used to both five at the back and four at the back, and the communication has helped.
“I don’t have a preference. The five at the back allows me to get forward more at times during the game.”
Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher shared his belief that Wan-Bissaka is the best full-back in the world in one-on-one situations.
And he has since urged Pep Guardiola against starting Sterling up against the former Crystal Palace star in the next Manchester derby.
He told Monday Night Football: “It’s almost become a massive rivalry this – Raheem Sterling versus Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
“I actually think Pep has to think about what he can do next time given Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s record now in this fixture. Something he’s got to do is not put Sterling up against Wan-Bissaka.
“Sterling is perhaps one of the three best wide left players in the world, but Wan-Bissaka is saying, ‘bring it on’.
“I think he’s one of the best one-on-one defenders for a full-back in the world. I don’t think anybody would be able to get the better of him one v one.
“When I say Manchester City have got to do something different it’s not about Sterling waving the white flag. It’s about using your brain. If you’re Guardiola, you’ve got to put Raheem on the other side.
“When you keep coming up against a manager and a team who keep beating you, you’ve got to come up with ways of doing things differently.
“Certainly in these games, Sterling has to go to the other side and Wan-Bissaka has to be given a different problem.”
