High-profile signings at Manchester United haven’t always gone to plan in recent years.
In fact, it’s hard to name many signings that have arrived at Old Trafford and matched expectations after a big-money move.
In the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era, the likes of Angel Di Maria, Alexis Sanchez and Donny van de Beek have all ended up as transfer flops for one reason or another.
Even in Erik ten Hag’s current squad, Antony, Jadon Sancho and Harry Maguire have hardly justified the huge fees spent on their signature.
Since the Ineos takeover, there appears to be a shift away from high-profile signings with focus now turned to young talents with high potential.
The arrival of Joshua Zirkzee and Leny Yoro this summer reflects that new transfer philosophy, but United also need some experience to partner the youth – and that’s where Matthijs de Ligt comes in.
Man United latest on Matthijs de Ligt
With Raphael Varane leaving as a free agent and Yoro now sidelined with injury for three months, defensive reinforcements are a top priority this summer.
United have already put two bids on the table for Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite, but the Toffees are not shifting away from their £70million asking price.
A double bid was also submitted to Bayern Munich for De Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui, but the German giants rejected the offer.
However, United remain in talks for the defensive duo and Fabrizio Romano issued a promising update on the double deal this week.
Paul Scholes on Matthijs de Ligt deal
News of United closing in on De Ligt will excite many fans, but Paul Scholes has expressed some major reservations about the deal.
Speaking on The Overlap, the United legend said “Manchester United are talking about bringing players in who can’t get in their team.
“From Bayern Munich, he [De Ligt] has not played for them. That has to be a big concern for me, especially when Eric Dier is playing in front of him.
“I’m not joking though, that is a massive concern for me. When you’re bringing players in for £40-£50million just because he played for him three or four years ago.
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“Juventus got rid of him, he wasn’t good enough for Juventus. He’s obviously not been good enough at Bayern Munich, so he’s coming to us as like a second-rate defender now.”
Concerns around De Ligt’s injury record are understandable with the Dutch defender playing just 1,387 minutes in the Bundesliga last season.
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