If you want an idea of how the Bayern Munich supporters feel about Matthijs de Ligt’s impending transfer to Manchester United, then check out the comments underneath an Instagram post made by the Bundesliga giants on Monday.
To say they aren’t happy would be an understatement.
Having already put forward a petition demanding that the Dutchman stay at the Allianz Arena, news that Matthijs de Ligt had spent his 25th birthday travelling to England for a medical went down about as well as you would expect.
That petition, by the way, has attracted over 71,000 signatures at the time of writing, via Change.org.
Manchester United agreed a combined deal worth around £50 million for De Ligt and his Bayern Munich team-mate Noussair Mazraoui just before the Community Shield clash with Man City at Wembley.
The make-up of Ten Hag’s backline – Jonny Evans starting, Lisandro Martinez at left-back and Facundo Pellistri brought on to play on the right – meant that Fabrizio Romano’s trademark ‘here we go‘ post could hardly have been better timed.
As for Bayern, well the chances of Vincent Kompany’s side re-claiming the ‘Meisterschale’ look slim as far as Dietmar Hamann is concerned.
Manchester United to sign Matthijs de Ligt from Bayern Munich
Speaking to Sky Germany, former Bayern midfielder Hamann is backing Bayer Leverkusen to defend their crown.
Especially with Kompany’s backline weakened following the departure of De Ligt – Bayern felt they had no choice but to sell – not to mention the subsequent failure to lure Jonathan Tah away from Xabi Alonso’s champions.
“I believe that Leverkusen is the team that has to be beaten over 34 match days. They pulverised the league last season,” ex-Liverpool and Man City enforcer Hamann says.
“We’ll have to wait and see what happens with Bayern. For me, Leverkusen are the favourites again and will win (the title).
“I wouldn’t have sold him,” Hamann adds of De Ligt. “He couldn’t always match the performances he delivered at Ajax or in Turin (at Juventus). But, for me, he was the most stable central defender at Bayern in the last six to eight months.
“He’s someone who speaks out and makes his team-mates better. I don’t see that in other central defenders. For me, (keeping) De Ligt would be a certainty.
“You need a leader at the back who leads the defence. That was de Ligt. (Dayot) Upamecano, Kim (Min-Jae), (Hiroki) Ito, none of them are great talkers. And Tah is not someone who leads or manages a defence either.
“That’s why I was surprised (by Bayern’s willingness to sell).”
Premier League debut possible against Fulham on Friday
Hamann sums up De Ligt’s two-year spell at Bayern Munich pretty succintly.
The former Ajax captain has not always performed consistently well. But, when at his best, De Ligt has stood out head and shoulders above his fellow central defenders.
German football expert Konstantin Eckner recently told talkSPORT that he was ‘the best player in the Bundesliga‘ during the second-half of 2022/23 as Julian Nagelsmann’s side snatched the shield from under Borussia Dortmund’s nose.
De Ligt is expected to be in Man United’s squad for Fulham’s Premier League opener with Fulham.
Per Sky Sports, Erik ten Hag’s side will stump up an initial £38.6 million.
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