Of all the transformations that Erik ten Hag has made at Manchester United, very few expected one of those to come in the shape of his full-backs.
Last summer, there was a legitimate case to be made that a new right-back was required in a team that was overly reliant on Diogo Dalot, and that case persisted all the way up to the World Cup break.
The Portuguese full-back started every game bar one in the first chunk of the season, only missing out on a start at Fulham because he was suspended. In his place, left-back signing Tyrell Malacia was repurposed, highlighting just how little depth there was in that position.
Or so we thought.
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Dalot suffered an untimely hamstring injury as Portugal were eliminated from the World Cup, meaning that Ten Hag would once again need to find a replacement for their first games back in action.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka had only played four minutes before the winter break but was thrown into the side for their return to club action and hasn't looked back since.
It was only last October that Ten Hag admitted, "United need two good full-backs, because we have a lot of games to come," in what looked like a dig at Wan-Bissaka.
The player was previously informed he was free to leave before the end of last season, but the lack of takers left United stuck with the £50million right-back. Ten Hag was keen to recruit Barca right-back Sergino Dest had United offloaded Wan-Bissaka, but the American joined Milan on loan.
Wan-Bissaka took a while to get up to speed with his teammates and the intense style of play, but since finding his feet, he has been a welcome change in defence with his different approach to the game.
Dalot remains a far more effective option going forward, though Wan-Bissaka has shown steady improvement all-around and continued to live up to his billing as an expert defensive full-back.
The former Crystal Palace defender has been performing so well of late that it could be argued that he should be starting ahead of his rival on merit at the moment, something particularly pertinent ahead of the trip to face Leeds tomorrow.
Wan-Bissaka missed the first meeting between the two sides earlier in the week through illness, but ahead of the game, Ten Hag revealed he is hopeful to have the defender back.
“I expect this squad is the same [as it was on Wednesday], except I hope Aaron Wan-Bissaka can return,” he told club media.
“Yesterday (Wednesday) he wasn’t there by illness, so I hope he can return for Sunday.”
United's selection at Elland Road could well be dictated by a late fitness test for Wan-Bissaka, but even going forward, there is a very tricky decision to make between the two full-backs for the rest of the season.
The real big decision will likely come in midweek when United face Barcelona in the first-leg of their Europa League play-off encounter, given that both right-backs should be available.
It will be fascinating to see whether Ten Hag opts for the threat of Diogo Dalot on the break to get in behind the opposition defence, or whether he prefers the defensive stability of Wan-Bissaka there instead.
"He’s picking up the coaching. He’s making good progress from the start of the season," Ten Hag said of the former Palace man last month. "He was in a bad situation because he was not fit. He had a lot of injuries, a couple of injuries until November. Things changed during the break. He worked hard in pre-season, in the training camp. Some good performances in the games. He is making good progress."
It means United could well have two options at right-back like Ten Hag wanted all along, and in the very worst case, Wan-Bissaka's recent resurgence has reminded possible suitors of his clear ability and will no doubt boost his valuation ahead of the summer window.
We have still not seen enough from the defender as he nears four years at the club, but it is a huge credit to both him and the manager that he has managed to become relevant again.
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