Finally – Erik ten Hag has made Manchester United’s first January transfer window decision easy

Man United must make a number of decisions ahead of the January transfer season, but one has been made easier than others. After the huge bombshell delivered by Piers Morgan and Cristiano Ronaldo at 10 p.m. on Sunday, it was easy to forget that Manchester United had won a Premier League match in such spectacular fashion just a few hours before. After former Reds winger Daniel James cancelled out Christian Eriksen's opening just after the hour mark, United appeared to be heading into the World Cup with a disappointing four points from their last three games. However, after coming off the bench, breakthrough sensation Alejandro Garnacho demonstrated his calmness by scoring in the 93rd minute. Erik ten Hag and his coaching staff celebrated what they believed was a crucial goal on the pitch, in the Craven Cottage away end, and on the touchline. Garnacho's heroics, with only one kick of the ball, made a huge difference in the mood at Old Trafford during the interval. In truth, Fulham might have been forgiven for being disappointed; they had posed a serious attacking threat for much of the game and could have scored more than the one goal they did obtain. United, on the other hand, possessed a good attacking threat, with Anthony Martial pivotal to much of their good fortune. United, on the other hand, appeared vulnerable defensively, particularly down their right side. In the absence of Diogo Dalot, who was serving a one-match ban after picking up his fifth booking of the season in a 3-1 loss to Aston Villa a week earlier, Ten Hag chose to put Tyrell Malacia in uncharted territory at right-back. The Dutchman, signed from Feyenoord in the summer, is a seasoned left-back, but had previously played on the opposite side of the defense, albeit in limited spurts, prior to Sunday's visit to Craven Cottage. Ten Hag's decision to deploy his fellow countryman in that role, though, came as no surprise when the teamsheet was announced an hour before kickoff. Nobody expected Ten Hag to use Aaron Wan-Bissaka in Dalot's absence, despite the fact that he was the Portuguese's understudy. The former Crystal Palace man, who joined the Reds in 2019, has played just four minutes of football this season, indicating that he is not in Ten Hag's plans, either short-term or long-term. His only appearance this season came as a late substitution in United's 2-1 triumph over Liverpool in August. Even when Ten Hag chose to change his starting lineup in Europa League games and against Aston Villa in the Carabao Cup last week, Wan-Bissaka was left out. He hasn't played for the Reds since April's 4-0 loss to Liverpool at Anfield. With mounting signs that Ten Hag does not see the 24-year-old as part of his plans, selling him should be one of United's top goals in the forthcoming January transfer window. It's foolish to maintain a player who hasn't progressed since joining the club if he's not in the manager's plans in any way, shape, or form. When United's first-choice right-back was unavailable, Wan-Bissaka was entirely neglected, which says a lot about what Ten Hag believes of him and how he fits into his plans. Surely, playing a left-back at right-back over him was the final nail in his coffin at Old Trafford? United sorely need a new right-back, and many fans believe it was an option that should have been pursued throughout the summer, but with the intention of a new recruit assuming first position in the pecking order. Dalot's form this season has seen him establish himself as Ten Hag's go-to man at right-back, implying that any new addition in that position would have to accept a backup role, at least for the time being. While purchasing a new right-back to offer Dalot with some healthy competition and cover is a legitimate and sensible proposal, United should prioritize offloading Wan-Bissaka, which will be easier said than done. Ten Hag's choice to keep him out of the Fulham game was telling.