Manchester United are targeting a move for international defender Matthijs de Ligt.
Matthijs de Ligt’s transfer move to Manchester United is currently on hold until the Netherlands’ Euro 2024 involvement is over.
For Matthijs de Ligt himself, Euro 2024 has been a little disappointing – he has not played a single minute at the tournament so far, with Virgil van Dijk and Stefan de Vrij preferred in defence.
And his situation has been questioned by one of his former Juventus teammates, Giorgio Chiellini.
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Chiellini asks why De Ligt is not playing
Giorgio Chiellini has been working as a pundit during Euro 2024 and has been previewing the Netherlands semi-final with England.
The topic of Matthijs de Ligt came up, and Chiellini wants to know why the centre-back is not starting for his country and what that says about him.
De Ligt was the former winner of the Golden Boy Award and youngest ever Ajax captain. The assumption at that stage, was that by 2024, he would be entrenched as a regular starter for his country despite the competition for places.
Chiellini is quoted via Voetbal Primeur: “I never expected him not to be a regular player.
“If these choices are made, it means that he has some problems in his development path.”
Chiellini added that his own experience with De Ligt suggested he is a player who should be starting.
But he also did not wish to question the assessment of the coaches who currently watch him on a day to day basis.
The Italian added: “What I’ve seen is a player who can’t sit on the bench in these kinds of teams.
“I’ve seen things from him now and then. I don’t know what happens on a daily basis. We comment on the choices of the coaches, but they see them every day.”
De Ligt on the way out at Bayern
A desire to be a regular starter is behind Matthijs de Ligt’s desire to quit Bayern Munich and sign for Manchester United, Fabrizio Romano reports.
De Ligt’s injury record is a contributory factor to his situation at Bayern where he only started 16 of a possible 34 Bundesliga games last season.
But he was also used as a substitute six times, and was an unused substitute on a further four occasions.
There is a spot opening up at Manchester United due to Raphael Varane’s exit, and De Ligt can see a pathway to a brighter future.
Yet, like with any new signing, De Ligt will arrive with a point to prove, and Chiellini’s line of questioning is a fair one.
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