Paul Scholes shares concern over Matthijs de Ligt signing at Man United as he makes Harry Maguire comparison

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Matthijs de Ligt has made a great start since joining Manchester United in the summer but Paul Scholes is yet to be convinced.

Adding depth and quality at centre-back was a top priority over the summer and after snapping up Leny Yoro for £52m as a young and exciting prospect, Ineos then added experience and leadership alongside him through Matthijs de Ligt.

Manchester United had been linked with a move for De Ligt after his breakthrough at Ajax under Erik ten Hag, and years later he has now completed a move to Old Trafford for £38m.

Despite struggling with the Netherlands over the international break, De Ligt returned to Manchester and was “outstanding” in the 3-0 win over Southampton.

The Red Devils now have a solid centre-back pairing in De Ligt and Lisandro Martinez, and United have kept three consecutive clean sheets in all competitions.

Paul Scholes unconvinced by Matthijs de Ligt

Signing De Ligt over the summer made sense for plenty of reasons – he had a relatively cheap asking price, arrives with Champions League experience and knows Ten Hag and his style of play well.

However, De Ligt faced plenty of critics after his arrival who doubted he was good enough to improve the side.

United legend Paul Scholes has now added his name to the list having claimed that De Ligt isn’t an upgrade on Harry Maguire.

Speaking on The Overlap, Scholes said: “He [Ten Hag] couldn’t wait to get De Ligt in instead of Maguire, he was just waiting for the opportunity.

“In all honesty, I’m not sure it’s that much of an upgrade.

“Who has De Ligt played against? He played against Southampton didn’t he? I think Maguire would’ve been fine against Southampton.

“He might be slightly better but it’s not a massive improvement where you think ‘wow’, is it?”

Matthijs de Ligt is a major upgrade for Man United

De Ligt has only been a United player for a matter of weeks, but he has already shown huge signs of promise.

He is starting to form a great partnership alongside Martinez, and he is already emerging as a leader on and off the pitch.

His performances against Southampton and Palace were both impressive, but even more impressive was the way he handled criticism over the international break.

After claims De Ligt’s international career would be over following mistakes for the Netherlands, he returned to Manchester and put in a superb performance and scored his first goal for the Red Devils – that is exactly the mentality required of a Manchester United centre-back.

United now have great depth in defence and De Ligt looks like a great addition to the squad. At 25 years old, he still has plenty of time to develop too.