Matthijs de Ligt opens up on his decision to join Man Utd
Matthijs de Ligt opens up on his decision to join Man Utd. Manchester United’s summer recruit Matthijs de Ligt, has refuted the claims that his reasons for joining Manchester United, was to reunite with manager, Erik ten Hag.
The defender who completed a permanent move to the Red Devils during the summer transfer window, leaving Bayern Munich just after a two-year spell with the Bavarian’s, to head to England, in a deal that includes right-back Noussair Mazraoui, whom also swapped the Allianz Arena for Old Trafford last month.
It’s worthy to note that, both De Ligt, and Mazraoui, did played under Ten Hag at Ajax, and were part of the side that came to within seconds of reaching the 2018/19 UEFA Champions League final against all odds.
Since taking charge of United in 2022, Ten Hag has faced criticism for a perceived reliance on signing his former Ajax players.
However, De Ligt has insisted he was attracted to the prospect of joining ‘one of the biggest clubs in the world’ and not just the familiarity of his manager.
“I am settled in Manchester, I enjoy myself,” he told Vandaag Inside.
“The boys are great, everything is handled perfectly. There’s many Dutch guys also in the staff.
“Erik ten Hag is not the only reason I joined Manchester United. We are talking about Manchester United here, maybe one of the biggest clubs in the world.
There is a lot of pressure because the fans are used to things from the past. It’s up to us to become as good as possible.”
United have made a poor start to the 2024/25 season, taking only three points from their opening three Premier League fixtures.
Though they started with a late 1-0 win against Fulham, they have since fallen to a last-minute goal in a 2-1 defeat at Brighton & Hove Albion and been thrashed 3-0 at home by rivals Liverpool.
