Manchester United’s £34 million colossus Matthijs de Ligt has had more managers in the space of half a decade than some have in a lifetime.
And, between his early days alongside Erik ten Hag at Ajax and his reunion with Erik ten Hag at Manchester United some five years later, the Dutch international has played under some pretty big names in the world of football.
There was Maurizio Sarri, Andrea Pirlo and Massimilano Allegri at Juventus. De Ligt represented ex-United target Thomas Tuchel at Bayern Munich, as well as the much-admired Julian Nagelsmann.
So, speaking as former Sporting boss Ruben Amorim arrives at Old Trafford, Matthijs De Ligt is hoping that the new Red Devils chief is the man to finally unleash the potential both of Europe’s biggest underachievers and a centre-half who has not quite blossomed into the elite talent many expected him to become.
Matthijs de Ligt shares hopes for Ruben Amorim at Manchester United
“[Amorim] did well at Sporting,” De Ligt tells Sport Nieuws in his native Netherlands. “Hopefully, he can also take us to the next level.
“Amorim is not my first coach and he will not be my last coach. I did not only move to Manchester United for Ten Hag. [United] still one of the biggest clubs in the world, I think.”
Like with Noussair Mazraoui – the two Ajax academy graduates joined on the same day over the summer – the presence of Ten Hag in the United dugout was a plus, certainly.
But not the only factor driving that combined £50 million-plus move from Munich to Manchester.
De Ligt is still disappointed by how things unravelled for his compatriot, however, while paying tribute to the work Ruud van Nistelrooy did during an interim spell which helped restore some confidence.
“The goal was to achieve success together with Erik,” De Ligt adds. “He hadn’t had much luck. We played well in many games but we didn’t take advantage of the chances we got. It’s a shame that it has to end like this.
“It was not an easy situation for Ruud, to take over from the trainer he was the assistant to. He did well.”
De Ligt ready to adapt to Ruben Amorim’s tactical approach
Van Nistelrooy said his goodbyes after Man United hammered Leicester City 3-0 on Sunday; their third win in four games under the legendary striker.
Amorim brings with him a fleet of coaches from Portuguese football, and there was no space in his set-up for a man who had made no secret of his desire to take sole charge of the United roster.
De Ligt, meanwhile, will be tasked with helping United transition towards a new-look, three-at-the-back system. An approach which provided the foundation for much of Amorim’s success at reigning Portuguese champions Sporting.
“I’ve played in back three for the national team, but also at Juventus and Bayern,” the former Ajax captain tells ViaPlay, pointing out that, with Manuel Ugarte dropping in, United already have some understanding of how to flit between a four and a three.
“[Against Leicester] we played in ball possession with a back three, so let’s see what happens. I think a back three or a back four, it’s generally the same. The only thing of importance is how the team is set up.
“You can play in a back three, but if everything is not compact and everybody is doing their own job, then it’s going to be really difficult. The same in a back four.
“That’s going to be the biggest challenge for the coaches. To get everyone on the same wavelength and same page to improve as a team and improve as players.”
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