Among all the signings Manchester United have made in this summer transfer window, one of Matthijs de Ligt stands out.
For United to get a player who, at just 25, has seen pretty much everything in club football across league titles in three countries and captained club and country is a remarkable bit of business.
The transfer fee, even though it ranks Matthis de Ligt among Manchester United’s most expensive defenders of all time, is still a huge steal relative to the player quality.
Furthermore, the reaction of Bayern fans to the sale spoke volumes about the coup United had managed.
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The belief was strengthened when reports emerged that Vincent Kompany had wanted the Dutchman to be his first-choice centre-back before he was sold. The Bayern manager has now responded to those reports-
Vincent Kompany reacts to Matthijs de Ligt report
The euphoria of United fans burnt by previous transfers of Bastian Schweinsteiger from Bayern Munich reached fever pitch when it was reported that the opposition to De Ligt’s move was not just restricted to the fans.
It was reported that Kompany had effectively bowed down to the board’s decision to sell De Ligt, when the manager had arrived with the intention of making him his first choice.
Speaking in his press conference ahead of the Bundesliga game, Kompany reacted strongly to those ‘stupid’ reports.
He said: “It would’ve been so stupid of me to say something like that. It wouldn’t fit with what we’ve planned for the entire squad. It makes no sense.”
The response is pretty much what one would expect from a club employee about a player who’s no longer at the club.
It would only serve to unsettle his current players so even if Kompany did say something like that, expecting him to own up to it would be naive.
It is notable that in the original report, this particular part came from sources “close to Kompany”, so there’s no smoke without fire.
One man’s loss…
Regardless of the narrative being bandied about De Ligt and how he has “failed” at Juventus and Bayern, the reality couldn’t be more different.
He was a consistently world-class player at both clubs and the fans of both clubs were amazed when he was sold.
Even his injury record is not as bad and doom-worthy as many are saying, with the last season at Bayern being the only one where he missed some games.
His leadership and charisma makes him a natural character who people gravitate towards and Erik ten Hag knows him and how to use his skills perfectly.
De Ligt will be made to feel important at Old Trafford and he’s already on his way to becoming a fan favourite despite barely settling into his role at the club.
As they say, “One man’s loss is another man’s gain”, and in De Ligt, Bayern fans would argue they’ve lost a gem. United have gained one.
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