West Ham look to have pulled Manchester United pants down when paying £15 million to sign Aaron Wan-Bissaka last season.

Manchester United must be living to regret the decision to allow full-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka to join Premier League rivals West Ham last summer after the 27-year-old turned in a head-turning performance in the 1-1 draw against Tottenham Hotspur at the London Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

Even if the Red Devils deemed the player surplus to requirements at Old Trafford, the £15 million price tag agreed with the Hammers looks to be an absolute steal for the London outfit. In a thoroughly underwhelming campaign, Wan-Bissaka has been one true positive for the club.

The defender has become a starting XI mainstay for West Ham, racking up nearly 3,000 minutes of Premier League football this season already. Wan-Bissaka has played at both left back and right back under Julen Lopetegui and Graham Potter, scoring two goals and picking up three assists.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka impresses for West Ham

One of those assists came on Sunday in the draw with Spurs. Neither Tottenham Hotspur nor West Ham had much to play for in that timid meeting with Wan-Bissaka one of few players with the bit between their teeth.

With just two minutes on the clock, the player burst through a gap in the Spurs defence to set the tempo for his side, leading to a roar around the London Stadium. Just minutes later, he showed his defensive quality when extending an impossibly long leg around the body of the ever-dangerous Mathys Tel and pinching the ball to end a Tottenham Hotspur break.

Moments like those were plentiful in the first half and ultimately culminated in Wan-Bissaka finding the pass to tee up Jarrod Bowen for the West Ham equaliser. The full-back, who so often worked himself space, received a good switch pass from Mohammed Kudus and ignored the bellows of big German Niclas Fullkrug to hold onto the ball himself and wait for Bowen to make the run.

Speaking after the match, Potter praised that partnership on the right flank between Wan-Bissaka and Bowen, and rightly so. The former Manchester United man has developed an impressive synergy with his teammates considering he is still in his first season at the club.

The former England under-21 showcases bags of effort too. At one moment in the second half, the defender even found himself at the opposite corner of the pitch and was still leading attacks with three minutes left to play. It was a huge performance that saw Wan-Bissaka awarded a 9/10 from LondonWorld in our player ratings. We wrote: “The bright spark out on the pitch today. West Ham’s most dangerous player going forwards, despite being a defender. Wan-Bissaka is a joy to watch when drifting in off the flank.”

Manchester United ‘foolish’ to sell defender for £15 million last year

Potter has regularly praised the player - one of few who continues to improve under the new manager. Speaking in February ahead of facing Leicester City, Potter said: "He has been really impressive. I think the wing-back role helps him a lot. It brings the best out of him. He can do both sides of the game, he is working away and I am delighted to have him."

It’s not as if Manchester United weren’t told of the player’s quality. Wan-Bissaka went through highs and lows with the club over his 190 appearances but regularly showcased his defensive attributes - the fact his attacking threat is so strong now makes him the complete full-back.

In April 2023, James Maddison wrote on social media: “AWB is ridiculously good at 1 v 1 defending. Probably the best in the world bar none. So many wingers run out of ideas when playing directly against him.”

Speaking about leaving Manchester United, Wan-Bissaka appeared to hint he was almost even pushed out. He said: “I spoke to the club and they thought this opportunity was best for me, They gave me some time to think about it. In the moment, I didn’t [think it was], but I spoke to family and friends about it and we all decided it was the right time.”

For Manchester United, who too have had another poor campaign, to sell someone who has been one of the best players in the bottom half of the season this term seems foolish. Wan-Bissaka had only 12 months left on his contract but, even if that was the reason for the sale, he has showcased a value worth at least double the £15 million fee agreed with West Ham - if the club was willing to spend £40 million on Max Kilman, surely Wan-Bissaka is worth upwards of £50 million.

In other news, West Ham's summer transfer 'priorities' include 'fantastic' Chelsea man and relegated defender.