Matthijs de Ligt is the latest star centre-back to wear the red of Manchester United, following in the footsteps of his idols.
Matthijs de Ligt was only signed by Manchester United from Bayern Munich last week, and yet already he seems to be part of the furniture.
His classy demeanour means he has slotted into the team perfectly and we are so sure that he will be a success under Erik ten Hag.
He only made his debut last Friday against Fulham but there were already signs that he will be an instant hit, barely putting a foot wrong as De Ligt saw the 1-0 out with little fuss.
De Ligt can still be a world-class defender, and if he can resemble his United heroes then he could go on to become a legend at the club.
De Ligt’s career has been moulded by three Manchester United legends
De Ligt moving to United feels right.
A deal which should have occurred five years ago has finally come off for the Dutchman – and it comes with a reunion with Ten Hag who he played his best football under.
Now it has been revealed that the former Ajax defender has long admired United, even idolising some of the greats to play under Sir Alex Ferguson.
According to The Athletic, De Ligt took a special interest in Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic – a partnership which was dominant in Europe when De Ligt would have first begun understanding football.
He also had his interest grabbed by his fellow Dutchman Jaap Stam.
Stam had departed Old Trafford in 2001 – when De Ligt was just two years old, but De Ligt is said to have watched him in action.
He is also very aware of the connection Stam has to United – with his game being a style De Ligt has often tried to emulate.
United have best centre-back group in over 10 years
Over the past decade and even longer, United have had a weak centre-back pairing – with an aged Vidic and Ferdinand being the last true strong pairing.
However, in a matter of two months, Ineos has flipped that onto its head and now Ten Hag has three centre-backs who could be seen as world-class.
Lisandro Martinez is an absolute certainty and when he is fit there is no United player as good as him. Alongside him, there is the luxury of having options.
Leny Yoro is a special talent but at 18 there should be no rush to start him week in and week out. Therefore, this season at least we imagine that it will be De Ligt who is the first choice, giving him a real chance to reach the potential that we all know he has.
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