The battle between two Manchester United players is coming to an abrupt end

Man Utd defenders Diogo Dalot and Aaron Wan-Bissaka have battled each other to start at right-back over the last few years.

Diogo Dalot and Aaron Wan-Bissaka have fought to start at right-back for Manchester United and their war is finally coming to an end.

Erik ten Hag admitted last spring that it was ‘close’ between the pair, but Wan-Bissaka ended the campaign as the first choice in his position and he started the first four games of the current Premier League season before sustaining a hamstring injury.

Since recovering from that injury in September, Wan-Bissaka has started just six league games and he’s been absent for the last two months with an unknown problem.

In comparison, Dalot has started 24 of the 27 games in the league this season and he’s recaptured the form that saw him earn plaudits before the World Cup in Qatar in 2022.

Wan-Bissaka’s stock has gone down while Dalot has reclaimed his starting role, which is likely to be the final twist in a battle between two players that has spanned a few years.

Dalot is one of the first names on the team sheet and he was one of few to emerge with credit against Manchester City, despite Pep Guardiola’s side claiming a 3-1 win in the derby.

Individual performances are redundant when United lose, especially against their rivals, but Dalot’s numbers confirm he is playing his best football again after a turbulent period.

Against City, Dalot had a 100 per cent tackle-win rate, he completed all of his dribbles and he won 80 per cent of his duels, which indicates he did all he could to help the team.

The 24-year-old was the best player in the backline and provided more value in wide areas than Alejandro Garnacho and Marcus Rashford, and Antony and Omari Forson when they came on.

But perhaps his most impressive statistic this season has been his fitness and availability. Only four regular United starters have avoided injury and Dalot is among them.