'I signed for Man Utd and I had no one up there apart from my PlayStation'

Today at 06:28 AM

Aaron Wan-Bissaka has opened up on the loneliness he endured during the early stages of his Manchester United career, revealing he only had his PlayStation for company.

The versatile defender spent five years at Old Trafford an made 130 Premier League appearances under a succession of different managers.

Wan-Bissaka looked set for a long and successful England career when he joined United from Crystal Palace in the summer of 2019 for a fee of £50 million.

Instead, injuries and a lack of stability at the Theatre of Dreams contributed to the full-back only displaying his true potential in fits and starts.

Wan-Bissaka confessed he found the going especially tough during the early stages of his United career having moved to Manchester from London.

He told The Evening Standard: ‘It was difficult. Very difficult. I went [to Manchester] on my own and it was my first time moving away from home. I had no one up there, apart from my PlayStation.’

He added: ‘Manchester's smaller, everyone's aware of everything that's happening. You have to be mentally strong to avoid the negative stuff it comes with.’

Now 26 and in the prime years of his career, Wan-Bissaka has embarked on a new challenge at West Ham who have struggled so far this term under new manager Julen Lopetegui despite what looked like, on paper, an impressive summer transfer window.

‘It got tiring!;’ he said when asked about his decision to join the Hammers and leave United.

‘It wasn't the right idea for me to be doing that. I had to try and settle up there, and I ended up doing that.’

Asked if he joined United too soon in his career, he added: ‘I've thought about that.

‘It could have gone any way. I could have told myself it was too early but the other side of me was asking, 'Is this opportunity going to come again?'

‘So, I thought, let me just take it. If it doesn't work out, it doesn't work out. At least I'd have tried and given it my all. That was my mentality.’