Manchester United are set to wrap up a deal to sign Dutch defender Matthijs de Ligt.
Matthijs de Ligt will officially become a Manchester United player over the next 24 hours, after completing his medical.
De Ligt’s move to United has sparked some interesting opinions, including Paul Scholes comments on his game time at Bayern, which were factually incorrect.
Now it is the turn of Dutch pundits to have their say on the Netherlands international centre-back.
Wesley Sneijder on Matthijs de Ligt
One Dutch player who nearly signed for Manchester United was midfielder Wesley Sneijder, who ended up staying at Inter Milan amid interest from the Red Devils.
He did not get a second chance to move to Old Trafford, unlike De Ligt, who chose to move to Juventus in 2019, ahead of a switch to United.
Quoted by Dutch outlet FCUpdate, Wesley Sneijder admitted he had some doubts over De Ligt’s move to United.
He said: “I don’t know… I thought the Bundesliga suited him well at first. I had a good feeling about that. I think England is much more physical, with big and fast players. I don’t know, I find it difficult to estimate.
“I really wish him well. I experienced him when he first joined the Dutch national team. Very eager to learn and he was up front every day. I like that, he has a good head and a good mentality. I really wish him well.”
Sneijder also suggested that De Ligt’s injury record could be a problem, and does not feel he has shown his very best.
Marco van Basten on Matthijs de Ligt
Legendary Dutch striker Marco van Basten shared his view on Manchester United’s new centre-back signing, agreeing with Sneijder that he has some doubts over the player and wants to see more.
Van Basten is a fan of De Ligt, but expressed concern that he has not hit the heights many expected when he left Ajax for Juventus, and then Bayern Munich.
He said: “I hope for the best for him, because he is indeed a very nice and fun guy. But if you see his progression from Ajax… first to Juventus and then to Bayern Munich, he has not improved much in the few years that he has been abroad. That has to improve.”
De Ligt, 25, still has his best years ahead of him and has reunited with his former Ajax manager Erik ten Hag, who predicted he would become the best centre-back in the world.
There is still time for his to happen, but as Van Basten suggests, De Ligt will have to take a leap forward.
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