One of my favourite quotes from last season was uttered by a manager showing real humour while also expressing a great level of admiration for one of his players. It came from Roy Hodgson, the Crystal Palace boss and he was talking about Aaron Wan-Bissaka, the young defender who completed his transfer to Manchester United this weekend.
Back in February, the Eagles defeated Hodgson’s former club Fulham 2-0 in a London derby at Selhurst Park. The home manager was enthusiastic about his young full-back after another demonstration of top-class defending.
“Last year, Aaron came to me and asked to go on loan,” revealed Hodgson.