Brighton & Hove Albion winger Kaori Mitoma has admitted that he was outclassed by Manchester United right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka in the FA Cup semi-final.
The Japan international has had a splendid campaign for the Seagulls, scoring 10 goals and providing seven assists from 31 appearances in all competitions.
He was anticipated to be the main attacking threat against United on Sunday but Wan-Bissaka had the better of him as he won 100 per cent of his ground duels.
In an interview with Stadium Astro, Mitoma said that he was up against a strong opponent and it was a complete defeat as he struggled to impose himself.
He said: “He is a strong opponent. That is what I thought while I was playing. There were a lot of scenes where his leg stretched at the end or he got the ball down to the back. I think it was a complete defeat.”
Wan-Bissaka playing to his strengths
Wan-Bissaka was completely out-of-favour under manager Erik ten Hag before the World Cup break. He played just four minutes for United in the season.
However, the 25-year-old has transformed his fortunes since the restart. He initially benefited from Diogo Dalot’s injury and Ten Hag now values his defensive contributions.
The former Crystal Palace man lacks the quality to create chances in the final third but he is probably one of the best when it comes to winning one-on-one duels.
Wan-Bissaka completely nullified the threat of Allan Saint-Maximin in the second half of the Carabao Cup final. He repeated the same against Mitoma on Sunday.
United have been touted to land an attacking right-back for some time but we won’t be surprised if Ten Hag decides to stick with his current options next term.
With Diogo Dalot on the verge of signing a new deal, Wan-Bissaka may have to be sacrificed for a new signing. In our view, selling him would be a big mistake.
Source: manutdnews.com
