Manchester United may have zeroed in on a potential new centre-back, with reports suggesting that the Red Devils have made contact with Matthijs de Ligt and his camp about a possible move to Old Trafford this summer. The Premier League side identified recruiting a new central defender as one of their biggest tasks coming out of the 2023/24 season.
With Raphael Varane leaving the club, and numerous other centre-backs deemed not quite up to scratch, bolstering the middle of the backline has become a necessity and, according to Fabrizio Romano, they’ve decided that Bayern Munich man De Ligt is the man they want to bring in. The Dutchman has a history with Erik ten Hag, as the two worked together at Ajax, with some very successful results, and a reunion could possibly be on the cards in the future.After a strong debut campaign in charge of United during the 2022/23 season, Ten Hag’s second at Old Trafford was a disaster. They struggled in the league and the Red Devils had one of their worst season statistically since the formation of the Premier League. One of their biggest issues was their defence.
Throughout the year, the likes of Harry Maguire, Varane and Lisandro Martinez all missed a significant portion of time through injury. The club were forced to rely on the likes of Jonny Evans at times and it was clear that they needed to recruit central defenders in the summer, so for Red Devils fans, the news that the club have approached De Ligt will be welcoming, especially considering his history with Ten Hag.
After emerging at Ajax as a very promising prospect, De Ligt has had spells at Juventus and now Bayern, but things have never truly clicked for him. He hasn’t been able to take his game to the level that many expected. He’s been fine, but he hasn’t fulfilled the potential that he seemingly had when he first burst onto the scene.
With that said, his best years were working under Ten Hag at Ajax and the pair have a very successful track record together, so a reunion at Old Trafford could be the best possible option for the centre-back and he could be the perfect figure to partner up with another former Ajax man in Martinez next season.Manchester United’s potential move for Matthijs de Ligt indicates their strong intent to reinforce their central defense after a challenging 2023/24 season. Given Erik ten Hag’s successful history with De Ligt at Ajax, this reunion could provide the stability and quality needed at the back. De Ligt’s experience at top clubs like Juventus and Bayern Munich, combined with his familiarity with Ten Hag’s system, might make him an ideal addition to partner Lisandro Martinez. This move could address the defensive issues United faced, especially with the injuries and inconsistencies from last season.
