Manchester United invites another level of scrutiny entirely and Matthijs de Ligt has just had his first dose of what that looks like despite it being the international break.
De Ligt joined Manchester United this summer from Bayern Munich, a move that alienated many Bayern fans who didn’t want him sold.
Apparently, the boardroom thought otherwise and the Dutch defender was sold in what was regarded as a coup by Man United.
After starting the first two games on the bench, he got his debut start vs Liverpool and despite the 0-3 defeat, he was one of the few bright sparks.
Then came the international break, his first start for the Netherlands after a while, and a storm of criticism…
Matthijs de Ligt comments- Story so far
Unlike his club and country teammate, Joshua Zirkzee, who stood out on his first Netherlands start, De Ligt had a forgettable outing.
He was called out by Ronald Koeman for his mistake in the buildup to the opposition’s second goal but Koeman ended by backing him.
It was De Ligt’s comments after the game that caused many eyebrows to raise. He threw shade at Bayern Munich and the Bundesliga, commenting that joining Man United is better for him as the Premier League has more eyes on it.
The increased exposure, he meant, would mean his chances of being regularly preferred by the national team would increase.
Nobody can doubt the thinking behind it as Koeman himself was recently in hot water for saying that Steven Bergwijn won’t be considered for selection anymore as he has chosen to move to Saudi Pro League.
However, his shade at the German league has left the country’s press furious…
German press attacks De Ligt
The football culture in Germany is something else entirely, with fans at the heart of it being fiercely protective of the game and the league.
Naturally, the press reflects that sentiment of protection so De Ligt’s comments would have undoubtedly invited the wrath.
That is exactly what happened as multiple outlets piled on Matthijs De Ligt for his comments which they saw as disrespectful towards the league.
German outlet Bild said: “Interesting: In the stadium audience ranking, Bayern is ahead of the “Red Devils”. The German record champions recorded an average attendance of 75,000 per game in the 2023/24 season. Man United had around 73,500 per game. This was the result of a SPOBIS analysis from the summer of 2024.”
They, however, accepted that the Premier League has a leg up on TV rights which effectively proves De Ligt right.
SPORT1 dissected De Ligt’s game instead, calling out his “bumpy start” at Old Trafford: “Rival Liverpool fans are now using De Ligt’s mistake against Bosnia to further mock them. They called the defender the “Dutch Maguire”. The Englishman has repeatedly been noticed for defensive weaknesses in recent years.”
FCBINSIDE contrasted his situation with Leon Goretzka, who was also put up for sale by Bayern but unlike De Ligt, chose to stay: “Unlike Leon Goretzka, who was also on Bayern’s sales list in the summer but decided against leaving, De Ligt seized the first opportunity and moved to United in the English Premier League.”
Interestingly enough, De Ligt’s Netherlands will face Germany next and a unique spice has been added to the game due to this discourse. The game is on September 10, just four days before United resume their Premier League campaign away to Southampton.
Receive a digest of our best United content each week direct to your mailbox
