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Man United transfer news: Matthijs de Ligt comments on why he moved to Old Trafford

'Ten Hag not the only reason': De Ligt speaks on decision to join Man United
© Imago
Manchester United defender Matthijs de Ligt dismisses suggestions that he only moved to Old Trafford due to the presence of head coach Erik ten Hag.

Manchester United defender Matthijs de Ligt has spoken on the reasons why he signed for the Red Devils earlier in the summer.

The Netherlands international was one of several high-profile names to make the switch to Old Trafford during the latest transfer window.

De Ligt chose to end a two-year stint with Bayern Munich in search of regular first-team football at the Premier League giants.

As it stands, the centre-back has made one start and two substitute outings, with the appearance from the opening whistle coming in a 3-0 defeat to Liverpool before the international break.

Head coach Erik ten Hag made the decision to replace Harry Maguire with a player who he knows well from their previous time together at Ajax.

Erik ten Hag and Matthijs de Ligt Ajax in Austria on July 19, 2024© Imago

De Ligt plays down Ten Hag theory

Since arriving at the Theatre of Dreams in 2022, Ten Hag has made a habit of acquiring players who have either played for him or featured in the Eredivisie.

De Ligt fits the bill having represented Ajax while Ten Hag was in charge before he made the big-money transfer to Juventus.

However, speaking in an interview with Vandaag Inside, De Ligt has insisted that there were a range of reasons why he chose to move to United.

The 25-year-old said: "I am settled in Manchester, I enjoy myself. The boys are great, everything is handled perfectly. There's many Dutch guys also in the staff.

"Erik ten Hag is not the only reason I joined Manchester United. We are talking about Manchester United here, maybe one of the biggest clubs in the world.

"There is a lot of pressure because the fans are used to things from the past. It's up to us to become as good as possible."

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag pictured on September 1, 2024© Imago

Will Ten Hag persist with De Ligt?

De Ligt endured a far from an ideal debut as Liverpool comprehensively outplayed United and looked like scoring at will.

On Saturday evening, De Ligt featured in Netherlands' 3-2 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina, later acknowledging that he had performed poorly.

He said: "I should have done better at their second goal, and I know that. I don't really know what happened. I should have cleared the ball but I kept having doubts during the play."

The openness of De Ligt could lead to Ten Hag having doubts as to whether to include him in the starting lineup for the Premier League encounter away at Southampton on September 14.

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