Manchester United defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka could well seek an escape route out of Old Trafford in the New Year, with the forgotten figure believed to be attracting attention ahead of the January transfer window.

What's the word?

According to Manchester Evening News, fellow Premier League side West Ham United are said to be keen on taking the 25-year-old on loan for the second half of the season, with the former England U21 international having been on the periphery under Erik ten Hag this term.

The report suggests that the Hammers previously showed an interest in signing the right-back during the summer, with United having been open to selling the former Crystal Palace man at the end of last season.

The 6 foot dud - who joined the Red Devils for around £50m in the summer of 2019 - has also been tipped for a return to Selhurst Park of late, and it increasingly looks as if his future lies away from Old Trafford.

Forget Maguire

This news comes amid reports that Ten Hag is looking to shake up his defence in 2023, with The Guardian having claimed in recent weeks that club captain Harry Maguire could be moved on at the end of the campaign.

Although the 29-year-old has endured a miserable start to the season at club level - making just four Premier League appearances - his form for his country at the World Cup has illustrated that there may still be a way back for the former Leicester City man under Ten Hag, having been "immense" in Qatar according to talkSPORT pundit Stuart Pearce.

As such, all may not be lost just yet for Maguire at the Theatre of Dreams. For team-mate Wan-Bissaka, though, an exit now appears somewhat inevitable, with the £90k-per-week dud having been a bystander to proceedings in recent months.

The floundering full-back - who was slated by Pat Nevin for his "poor" attacking game - has had just four minutes of game-time so far in 2022/23, with Ten Hag having routinely favoured Diogo Dalot on the right-hand side of defence.

It is not only this term that the struggling Wan-Bissaka has slipped down the pecking order, with the Londoner having only started 20 of United's league games last term, losing his place as a regular in the team following Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's exit 13 months ago.

The once-promising former Eagles starlet has rarely appeared to be at the level required to be a success in Manchester, with his end product having been particularly dismal over the last three years or so, having scored just twice and laid on only ten assists in 127 games across all fronts.

Those woes have ensured that the time has now come for Wan-Bissaka to finally move on when the market reopens in two weeks' time, with United set to be forced to swallow their pride and accept a loan exit or a cut-price fee for their £50m investment.