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Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s eye-opening Julen Lopetegui admission should really get West Ham fans thinking

West Ham United's Aaron Wan-Bissaka in discussion with Jarrod Bowen during the Premier League match between Nottingham Forest FC and West Ham Unite...
Photo by Rob Newell – CameraSport via Getty Images

Aaron Wan-Bissaka was brought to West Ham United by Julen Lopetegui in the summer transfer window.

The signing of Aaron Wan-Bissaka from Manchester United for just £15 million was seen as a real coup for West Ham.

My one problem with the 26-year-old so far is that he’s being played way too far up the pitch – something that obviously isn’t his fault.

Julen Lopetegui has made a lot of mistakes at the London Stadium already, and his usage of Wan-Bissaka has been one of his biggest errors in my opinion.

The Spaniard is under real pressure right now, and it has been claimed that he could be sacked after this weekend, even if we beat Everton!

However, are we as a fanbase being a little bit too harsh on the Hammers head coach?

Julen Lopetegui, Manager talks to Aaron Wan-Bissaka of West Ham United FC during the Premier League match between West Ham United FC and Manchester...
Photo by Eddie Keogh/Getty Images

I personally feel like he’s lost in his role right now and doesn’t have the necessary attributes or ideas to improve things.

But Wan-Bissaka’s latest comments might just make Lopetegui’s naysayers think differently.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s eye-opening Julen Lopetegui admission

The former Manchester United right-back is one of the very best one v one defenders on the planet.

I feel like we need to use him to his strengths more.

He can be such an effective player when covering against counter attacks due to his explosive recovery pace and exceptional tackling ability.

However, Wan-Bissaka alluded to the fact that Lopetegui sees him as a more attacking full-back, when speaking to The Evening Standard.

He also highlighted how the Spaniard sold his vision to him, when he swapped Old Trafford for East London.

“He was telling me that he wanted me to come, explaining his project, and it did persuade me,” Wan-Bissaka says. “I was happy with the direction the club was going and the plans he had. It made sense for me to be a part of that.”

West Ham United's Aaron Wan-Bissaka in discussion with Jarrod Bowen during the Premier League match between Nottingham Forest FC and West Ham Unite...
Photo by Rob Newell – CameraSport via Getty Images

He encouraged me and push me to express myself more in the final third.

Have we got Lopetegui wrong?

That is quite the statement from Wan-Bissaka as far as I’m concerned, considering some of the criticism Lopetegui has received recently regarding his side’s lack of a footballing identity.

After hearing those comments from Wan-Bissaka, I feel like Lopetegui does in fact have a very clear vision for West Ham, he’s just be struggling to implement it right now.

Perhaps we do need to be more patient with the 58-year-old.

However, one thing is clear in my mind – he needs to extract a big performance out of his players during our clash with Everton on Saturday.

And a convincing win will be an absolute must, if the Spaniard is to get the fans back onside.

Maybe there is a future at West Ham with Julen Lopetegui at the helm. Aaron Wan-Bissaka has provided a different side to the argument today at least.

That said, we do need to start seeing some big improvements very soon, otherwise the Hammers ehad coach won’t be given the chance to show us what he’s truly capable of.

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