Matthijs de Ligt: How will Manchester United's new signing fare at Old Trafford? (2024)

Published

13 August 2024

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Matthijs de Ligt has struggled to find a footballing home.

At the age of 25, the Netherlands defender is with his fourth major European club having completed a move to Manchester United from Bayern Munich for an initial £38.5m.

Two and a half years in the Ajax team after coming through the academy, three years at Juventus and two at Bayern - with each transfer fee smaller than the last.

Could Old Trafford be where he finally settles down, and could he finally be the answer to United's defensive issues?

Five years ago, De Ligt was one of European football's hottest properties.

After captaining Erik ten Hag's Ajax to a memorable run to the Champions League semi-finals aged just 19, United were one of many clubs jostling for his signature.

By that time he had already played 77 times in the Eredivisie and succeeded Kylian Mbappe as the 2018 Golden Boy - becoming the first defender to win the award.

Among numerous records he broke in the Netherlands, he became Ajax's youngest full debutant, the youngest player to feature in a European final, and the youngest player to represent his country since 1931.

Despite interest from United, he joined Juventus for £67.5m, making him the Italian top-flight's most expensive defender.

He went on to win one Serie A title and one Coppa Italia in 117 appearances but the move was mixed for him and, just three years into a five-year deal, he joined Bayern in 2022 for £65.6m.

He played 73 games for the German club and won one Bundesliga title, but again failed to make the impact he was expected to and was left on the Netherlands bench at Euro 2024.

Having described himself as a "leader" in the past, the combative ball-playing centre-half will hope his move to Old Trafford reignites his career, with the Red Devils desperate to improve on last season's defensive record, which left them with a negative goal difference.

He also joins Andre Onana, Antony and Lisandro Martinez as former Ajax players reunited with Ten Hag.

De Ligt is United's second big-money summer signing at centre-back after the £52m recruitment of 18-year-old Lille defender Leny Yoro.

The Frenchman is out for three months with a broken foot suffered during the pre-season tour of the United States.

"We will never know how much United would have stretched a ‘tight’ Profit and Sustainability position had Yoro not been ruled out, but Ten Hag felt he had to act," said BBC Sport chief football news writer Simon Stone.

De Ligt will compete with former club captain Harry Maguire and Argentina's Martinez, who incidentally replaced him in the Ajax team in 2019.

Raphael Varane left the club this summer.

"Lisandro Martinez has to be viewed as the first choice in the left centre-back role once United have a left-back available," said Stone. "That means De Ligt and Harry Maguire fighting it out for the other slot until Yoro is fit to return, which will add another dimension.

"Ten Hag has tended to think Maguire’s body movement doesn’t lend itself to opening the game out quickly enough when United play out from the back. Even in the Community Shield, it was clear that is the path United are heading down given how often goalkeeper Andre Onana had possession with the ball at his feet."

Veteran Jonny Evans is the other centre-back option, with Swede Victor Lindelof likely to leave the club.

De Ligt was a man in huge demand when he left Ajax in 2019 - but now Bayern were happy to let him go even though summer signing Hiroki Ito has broken his foot.

"De Ligt was viewed as one of the most promising young defenders in the world when he skippered Ajax to within a minute of the Champions League final in 2019," Stone said.

"However, he was only 19 at the time and although Juventus paid £67.5m for him, it was done with an acknowledgement he still had a lot to learn.

"The problem was he joined a club that had a rock solid defensive pairing in Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini and was also heading down a different path commercially following the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo.

"Chiellini did get injured quite early but flaws in De Ligt’s game around his positional sense with the ball at his feet, and also tracking opponents, were exposed in what is a technical league.

"In addition, there is a concentration issue that wasn’t really evident at Ajax but was heightened at Juventus as Bonucci has similar problems.

"Add Ronaldo into the mix and performances started to dip, which affected the confidence around the club and three changes of manager. The stability around Juve disappeared, they stopped winning titles, everyone got criticised and the ownership was sucked in by the European Super League debacle."

Each transfer fee has been lower than the last. Juve paid Ajax £67.5m in 2019, Bayern shelled out £65.6m in 2022 and United have paid £38.5m.

Stone continued: "He played a lot of games for Bayern but at a time when they went on the same kind of slide as Juventus, almost losing the title in 2023 to Borussia Dortmund and then actually doing it last season.

"It means the spotlight has been on him for five years and critics have kept picking at what he can’t do well, rather than the positives, like leadership and confidence.

"It means most feel he is still no better than he was in 2019, and the weaknesses it was already known he had have still not been solved."

Germany football expert Constantin Eckner said: "It is safe to say that De Ligt's move to Bayern in 2022 did not completely pan out as anticipated.

"Even though the Dutch defender struggled at times during his spell in Italy, he was still viewed as one of the most talented centre-backs in Europe. At first, De Ligt did not necessarily impress but was quite consistent in his performances for the German powerhouse, without committing too many costly mistakes.

"During the second half of the 2022-23 season, in which Bayern sacked Julian Nagelsmann and hired Thomas Tuchel as his replacement, De Ligt increasingly stepped up his game and was arguably the best player in the Bundesliga."

After that promising run of form, it seemed like last season would be the making of De Ligt.

But "the opposite happened", said Eckner.

"De Ligt and Tuchel found themselves at odds for a while, with the Dutchman demanding to be a regular starter and anchor at the back, while Tuchel was frequently rotating his centre-backs until the later stages of the season when he picked De Ligt and Eric Dier as his preferred pairing.

"De Ligt seems to have a high opinion of himself and his abilities, thus he does not hide his dissatisfaction if he sits on the bench."

New manager Vincent Kompany, who left Burnley for Bayern this summer, is said to see Dayot Upamecano as his first-choice centre-back, with Englishman Dier and South Korea's Kim Min-jae battling for the second spot.

So how will De Ligt get on at Old Trafford?

Eckner said: "He has proven that he possesses the potential to be one of the more impressive defenders in any league, but performing consistently and not being upset about any setbacks is key now that he joins Manchester United.

"Perhaps the hype surrounding him amid his move from Ajax to Juventus in 2019 put too much pressure on a young player, and he still needs time to figure out how to perform as effortlessly as he did as a teenage sensation back in Amsterdam."

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