Erik ten Hag has two Manchester United players fighting for one position ahead of next season

When Manchester United travelled to Fulham last November for their final game before the 2022 World Cup, it featured a moment that ultimately marked the beginning of Alejandro Garnacho's career.

The Argentine, fresh from stepping off the bench, picked the perfect moment to score his first Premier League goal, netting a dramatic 93rd-minute winner to send United into the World Cup break on a high. Without that last-gasp swing of his left boot, United would have gone into the pause on a run of one win in four league games.

But while the victory on the banks of the Thames marked Garnacho's breakthrough moment, it was an afternoon that spelt the end of Aaron Wan-Bissaka's United career. It seemed that way, anyway.

The defender, despite Diogo Dalot being unavailable through suspension, was left out of the matchday squad and manager Erik ten Hag opted to deploy Tyrell Malacia at right-back in Dalot's absence. It was a decision that appeared to confirm that Wan-Bissaka's United career had reached the end of the road.

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He had earned just four minutes worth of first-team football in 2022/23 prior to the World Cup break, appearing as a late substitute in the 2-1 win over Liverpool at Old Trafford last August. Dalot had nailed down the right-back spot and Wan-Bissaka was almost certain to leave in January and start afresh elsewhere.

Yet Wan-Bissaka, out of nowhere, rekindled his United career after the showpiece event in Qatar, racking up 33 appearances between the December restart and the end of the season. Dalot, prior to the World Cup, was one of the first names on the teamsheet, establishing himself as an undroppable figure in Ten Hag's plans.

However,