Manchester United star Matthijs de Ligt has admitted that he was blown away by a world-class striker who was held in high esteem by Sir Alex Ferguson.
Matthijs de Ligt has missed out on featuring at this summer’s World Cup after the 26-year-old Netherlands international faced a major injury setback last season.
The former Ajax and Juventus defender has not featured under Michael Carrick since the Manchester United legend returned to Old Trafford back in January.
De Ligt’s last match for United came under Ruben Amorim, who was sacked as United manager in January, and was against Premier League side Crystal Palace in 2025.
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Man Utd defender Matthijs de Ligt shows his admiration for Bayern Munich and England striker Harry Kane
Speaking to Manchester United’s official website, Matthijs de Ligt dropped the ultimate compliment on former Tottenham striker Harry Kane.
Harry Kane has been linked with Man Utd in the past, but the Red Devils failed to land the 32-year-old England captain while he was at Premier League side Spurs.
The Bayern Munich striker enjoyed a stunning 2025-26 campaign with the German side after he netted a whopping 61 times in 51 matches across all competitions.
“He [Kane] made a big impression on me,” De Ligt said.
“The way he worked, how good he was, how consistent he was in scoring goals. With Harry, it’s just like, every shot, there’s an idea behind it.
“He knows exactly what he’s doing. He knows exactly where to shoot the ball: right, left, head – and [I’m] not even talking about his playmaking because that’s also incredible.
“He’s just such a complete striker, and yeah, I never really experienced it like that in my life.”
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Sir Alex Ferguson’s praise for Harry Kane shows exactly why Matthijs de Ligt thinks so highly of him
Sir Alex Ferguson, who is widely regarded as one of the best managers of all time, admitted that Harry Kane was a player that he wished he could have managed.
Speaking to Gary Neville for SPORTbible in 2021, he said: “Well, I think Kane… I thought Dele Alli was going to be a top player, I must admit. I don’t know what’s happened there.
“But Kane, and the boy Son [Heung-min] at Tottenham — these are excellent players.
“[Sergio] Aguero has been a terrific striker: there’s no doubt about that. His goalscoring has been exceptional.
“And I think that the top teams will always produce a player that can stand out and I think that those two in particular [Kane and Aguero].”
Kane has been playing a starring role for England at the World Cup and the Bayern Munich ace recently became the Three Lions’ all-time leading scorer in World Cup history.
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