Vieira addresses Wan-Bissaka transfer rumours amid talk of Crystal Palace return for £50m Man Utd man

• Defender left Selhurst Park in 2019
• Endured a testing time at Old Trafford
• Linked with move in winter window

WHAT HAPPENED? The 25-year-old right-back left south London for Old Trafford in a £50 million ($60m) transfer during the summer of 2019. Wan-Bissaka has found the going tough at times with United, leading to reports that he could soon be offloaded, but Vieira is reluctant to speculate on whether the familiar face is of interest to Palace heading into the January window.

WHAT THEY SAID: The Eagles boss has said when quizzed on the links to Wan-Bissaka: “Listen, he is a Man Utd player. We have to respect that and there’s nothing more to say about that. He is a good player, there is no doubt about that. He’s related to this football club and I think he’s been loved by the fans. But again, he’s a United player.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE: While refusing to get specific on those being lined up by Palace for winter moves, Vieira admits that he is hoping to reinforce his ranks over the coming weeks. The Frenchman added on his recruitment plans: “I hope we’re going to be busy [in January]. We always work hard to try to improve the squad but we know how tough and difficult it is to find the players to improve the team. We are quite short on numbers but it is important to find the right players.”

IN THREE PHOTOS:

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WHAT NEXT? Wan-Bissaka was handed a rare start by United in their latest outing – a Carabao Cup fourth round victory over Burnley – and even picked up an assist, with Erik ten Hag has claiming that the hard-working defender can earn further opportunities at Old Trafford if he applies himself correctly.