Aaron Wan-Bissaka: Why Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wanted to bring Palace young gun to Manchester United

The 21-year-old is viewed as an exciting talent who can contribute in both defensive and attacking phases of play

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer made signing Aaron Wan-Bissaka a priority this summer as he believes the young full-back is an example of how he wants his Manchester United team to play.

Wan-Bissaka has completed a £50m move to Old Trafford after a breakthrough in long-running negotiations between United and Crystal Palace was made on Tuesday.

The 21-year-old joins United for an initial fee of £45m, with a further £5m in add-ons, and signs a five-year contract at Old Trafford.

Wan-Bissaka is viewed as an exciting talent who can contribute in both defensive and attacking phases of play, moving the ball out of the back and into dangerous areas of the pitch.

Solskjaer attempted to implement a quicker, more direct style of play based around counter-attacking principles upon his return to United in December of last year, and he initially succeeded.

The Norwegian sees the full-back positions as key to such a style of play and showed no hesitation when freezing out veteran right-back Antonio Valencia, a United stalwart but a player whose best days are behind him.

Wan-Bissaka will essentially replace Valencia in the first-team squad and compete with Diogo Dalot at right back. Last season’s first-choice right-back Ashley Young will switch flanks, providing cover for Luke Shaw on the left.

United struggled to maintain Solskjaer’s preferred style - a fact the manager himself largely puts down to fitness issues - and suffered a sharp downturn in results during the final months of the campaign.

That loss of form resulted in failure to secure a top-four finish and qualify for this season’s Champions League, which has in turn made the need for an overhaul of the first-team squad all the more pressing.

Solskjaer wants to sign young, homegrown talent in order to build a squad which can develop together and compete for honours in the years to come.

The signing of Wan-Bissaka chimes with the £18m arrival of Daniel James, the failed pursuit of Jadon Sancho and ongoing interest in the likes of Sean Longstaff and James Maddison.

United are expected to now switch their attention to central defence and midfield, where the likes of Harry Maguire and Bruno Fernandes are also being considered.