As time goes by, the rumors of Bayern Munich’s Matthijs De Ligt signing for Manchester United are becoming more and more solid. And according to those same reports, Erik Ten Hag could be the main reason behind De Ligt’s invite to England.
However, after an interview with Ten Hag, it was revealed that it was indeed not De Ligt’s former coach that plotted this potential move. When asked about the Dutch talent, United’s current manager had this to say:
“I know Matthijs well, of course, I’m not going to deny that. Two years ago I already wanted to get him, but he was already in very advanced talks with Bayern Munich. But believe it or not: his name didn’t come specifically from me in this process,” said Ten Hag.
Perhaps Ten Hag did not play a role in initiating United’s interest in the defender, but he certainly could play a large role in actually signing Bayern Munich’s star center back. Ten Hag and De Ligt shared much of their career together, with the former being De Ligt’s coach at one of AFC Ajax’s most memorable seasons, and this pre-existing relationship could be the deciding factor for De Ligt to make the move.
Ten Hag further extended his comments on the potential transfer:
“We still have to wait and see whether De Ligt will come. But the good thing is: during my vacation I was out of the process for three or four weeks. During that period, it was really the club, the newly established scouting and recruitment department, that brought in these players,” said Ten Hag.
One thing is for sure, the Manchester United scouts have a good eye. Whether or not De Ligt will make the move is a different conversation altogether, but at least there is verbal confirmation from the club itself regarding the news.
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