Medical completed: Manchester United beat PSG and Barcelona to transfer deal as star completes medical, set to sign Six-years deal- NOT UGARTE
Back in 2023, before the Glazers finally agreed to let Ineos take control of Manchester United, a former Old Trafford scout opened up on his disappointment as the Red Devils one of the most talented teenagers in world football pass them by.
Marcel Bout, the Dutchman who spent eight years at Old Trafford after joining alongside Louis van Gaal, was keen to see the Red Devils make good use their Ajax connections.
Legendary goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar was the Eredivisie giants’ CEO at the time, after all.
And Bout’s plan was to carve out a pathway which would have resulted in in Matthijs de Ligt leaving Ajax for Manchester United.
“I said to Ed Woodward; ‘Edwin van der Sar played here. Now, create a bridge to Ajax through him’,” Bout recalls to Algemeen Dagblad. “17-year-old Matthijs de Ligt played at Ajax. Later, Frenkie de Jong came to Ajax.
“’Make sure that, at United, you make a deal early on for these kinds of talents, and then you can always let them mature for a while in the Netherlands,’ I said.”
“(My advice went ignored) because there are so many forces at play within United.”
Manchester United finally land ex-Ajax ace Matthijs de Ligt
Bout was not the only one left baffled by Man United’s apparent reluctance to listen to those who had been hired to advise on recruitment.
How he must have wished he had an ownership group like Ineos running things from above, rather than Joel Glazer and Ed Woodward moonlighting in roles they had no right to be taking.
Bout would, at least, get his ‘Matthijs de Ligt to Man United’ wish in the end. Albeit very belatedly.
The £38 million centre-half moved to Old Trafford the long way around, via Bayern Munich and half-a-decade after swapping Ajax for Juventus.
Labelled a ‘phenomenal’ bit of business, De Ligt feels like a very Ineos-era sort of deal. Man United refused to bow down to Bayern’s demands and overpay – Sir Jim Ratcliffe is desperate to bring an end to that ‘United tax’ – before eventually green-lighting a move on their terms.
And like Joshua Zirkzee and Leny Yoro – who had offers on the table from AC Milan and Real Madrid – De Ligt chose Man United despite considerable interest from other European powerhouses.
The Athletic claim that his camp were contacted by French champions Paris Saint-Germain.
United won the race, however, just like they beat PSG to Rasmus Hojlund a year earlier.
Barcelona also reached out to De Ligt’s representatives, only to be informed that it was Manchester United in pole position.
The Athletic add that De Ligt’s decision was driven by a desire to work again with Erik ten Hag.
Ten Hag was the man who handed him the captain’s armband as a teenager at Ajax, and who tipped him to become the finest centre-half in world football.
“(Erik ten Hag was) the most important coach for my development,” De Ligt explained to The Athletic a few months ago, the latest former Ajax star to join alongside Lisandro Martinez, Antony, Andre Onana and Noussair Mazraoui.
“Even at 18, he saw me as someone who could lead a team, who could lead by example. Who could be a good captain.”
Erik ten Hag helps United beat PSG and Barcelona
De Ligt made his Man United debut off the bench in Friday’s 1-0 win over Fulham. Ten Hag may opt to take an ‘if it ain’t broke’ approach against Brighton this weekend, with Harry Maguire excelling alongside Martinez in central defence.
De Ligt’s time will come, however, and sooner rather than later.
“They are getting a young, ball-playing centre-back who has got experience at the elite level,” European football expert David Cartlidge tells the On the Continent podcast of a deal which has not gone down at all well with the Bayern supporters.
“And who, for me, can still potentially be a world-class centre-back as well. I think (Man United have played this deal) really well.
“I think it’s a phenomenal move for Man United. Think back to the start of the window, they were chasing Jarrad Branthwaite and getting quoted £70 – 75 million for him. They’ve managed to get De Ligt and Mazraoui for below that price.
“It’s an excellent bit of business to get two players of their ages to add to that depth. A clear improvement on what they had, and what they have.
“So they should be really excited about that.”
