Five years ago, Matthijs de Ligt’s arrival at Manchester United would have been seen as one of the biggest signings in world football.
The then 19-year-old Ajax captain eventually opted to join Juventus while United nursed their rejection, but now the centre-back could finally be on his way to Old Trafford.
If you search for De Ligt on the internet, one of the first things that will strike you is that he is only 24 years old. The Dutchman has been a household name in European football for five years, but he is still younger than the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Marcus Rashford.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s INEOS have taken charge of United’s transfer strategy and De Ligt is one of the names at the top of their list of defensive reinforcements following the departure of Raphael Varane.
The defender has given the green light to leave after falling out of favour at Bayern Munich and represents a cheaper option than Jarrad Branthwaite, for whom Everton have already rejected approaches.
Matthijs de Ligt is wanted by Manchester United and has given the green light to join the club
United manager Erik ten Hag (right) had already gotten the best out of De Ligt during their time together at Ajax.
De Ligt has fallen down the pecking order behind former Tottenham defender Eric Dier (left wing)
His move to United and reunion with Erik ten Hag could be the perfect remedy for De Ligt to get his career back on track, but it also raises questions about his suitability to play in the Premier League and whether he is as good as many believed.
After captaining Ajax to their impressive run to the Champions League semi-final in 2019, De Ligt was hot property in Europe and United joined the chase to secure his signature.
His decision to join Juventus in a £67.8m deal made him the most expensive defender in Italian top flight history, tapping into a potential that many hoped would make him one of the best in the world.
The signing has had mixed results. It has not turned out as the parties had hoped, with De Ligt leaving just three years into his five-year contract after winning Serie A, the Coppa Italia and the Super Cup alongside Cristiano Ronaldo.
Interestingly, the Dutchman admitted that his development was going backwards during his time in Turin, stating at the time of his departure: “I was captain at Ajax and I felt I had to lead this team. Of course, if you then go to a team that has so many legends in defence and in goal, for a 19-year-old it can be a bit difficult at first to express himself in the way he really could.”
‘In some ways, I was less myself, but I learned a lot and tried to absorb things every day to become a better player and leader.’
By his own reckoning, De Ligt is a leader, but he felt limited in a Juventus team that had too many leaders. Fortunately for him, United have hardly any and are in desperate need of authority figures.
A disastrous Premier League campaign saw the club finish eighth with a negative goal difference as the club’s defence was hampered by injuries and Ten Hag eventually saved his job by beating Man City to win the FA Cup. De Ligt could be the answer to their defensive crisis.
Former Bayern Munich manager Thomas Tuchel had a hard time working with De Ligt last season
The 24-year-old defender previously claimed his time at Juventus was a setback for his development.
De Ligt was already considered one of Europe’s brightest prospects when, aged just 19, he captained Ajax against the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo.
Bayern Munich were next to take a chance on the centre-back’s pedigree after successfully negotiating a £68m transfer with Juventus two years ago, believing Germany was the best environment for him to thrive.
At first glance, it looked like a perfect match, with De Ligt immediately slotting into Julian Nagelsmann’s defence and playing a pivotal role in their quest to the Bundesliga title.
However, Thomas Tuchel did not have the same confidence in his ability and publicly demanded new defenders with the arrival of Kim Min-jae (United had also been interested) and former Tottenham outcast Eric Dier also made a surprise move later in the year.
Dier wasn’t meant to be a threat to a player like De Ligt who many still believe can develop into a world-class defender, but he was and ended up being Tuchel’s favourite during the final stretch of the season.
The Dutchman now wants to leave Allianz to sign for what will be his fourth club at the age of just 24 and United prove a great final gamble for a player whose career is at a crossroads.
New Bayern manager Vincent Kompany is open to letting him go for a fee in the region of £48m – a cheap price for a player Europe’s best once fought for – so the club can bring in Jonathan Tah as his replacement, but United must be careful not to make a mistake they have made so many times before.
The Premier League, and Old Trafford in particular, is not an arena for the faint-hearted or those afraid of competition. United are the subject of more scrutiny in England and arguably overtake Ajax, Juventus and Bayern as one of Europe’s biggest clubs.
If he struggled to cope with the pressure of playing in Italy and Germany, trying to re-establish his career at the 13-time Premier League champions is a big decision.
Flop and De Ligt will not get the chance to make another high-profile signing. If they succeed at Old Trafford, the world will once again turn its attention to the defender, while his signing will also be hailed as a masterstroke by a United transfer team that has rightly been criticised in recent years.
The Dutchman is trying to regain the form he had as a teenager that previously saw him courted by Europe’s biggest clubs.
De Ligt is keen to reunite with Ten Hag but there is a risk associated with him joining United.
De Ligt’s reputation is at stake if he fails to make things work if he moves to Old Trafford.
It is not just De Ligt’s reputation that is at stake, however. United manager Ten Hag, who has just survived an end-of-season overhaul, is keen to reunite with a player he got the best out of in the past, but the defender’s arrival would also continue the former Ajax boss’ unusual trend of recruiting players he once worked with in Amsterdam.
Antony and Lisandro Martinez joined in the same season Ten Hag took charge of United, while former Ajax goalkeeper Andre Onana arrived from Inter Milan last year.
Frenkie de Jong has long been courted by United, while Christian Eriksen is another former Ajax player who has linked up with Ten Hag.
Brazilian winger Antony is the most worrying signing of all, having been signed for £85m and having failed to find his form in his first two years in Manchester. That is the same concern surrounding De Ligt.
Ten Hag wants to continue signing players he previously worked with while trying to bring in defensive reinforcements
He has experience of playing at big clubs, unlike Antony, but has largely disappointed since leaving Ajax and Bayern’s slide down the pecking order is a cause for serious concern considering Dier was unable to even play a game at Spurs under Ange Postecoglou.
De Ligt’s stock is not as high as it once was and his confidence appears to have been shattered as he has yet to feature for the Netherlands at Euro 2024.
Once regarded as a combative centre-back, praised for his strength and aerial ability, he was expected to challenge Virgil van Dijk as his country’s best defender. Now he could face his compatriot at Liverpool’s biggest rivals.
De Ligt is understandably keen to make the move as he once again attempts to perform for one of Europe’s elite teams and pocket a Premier League wage, but United must be careful because good things do not come easily or cheaply, and when they do there is a huge risk involved.
