‘I didn’t want Matthijs de Ligt in my team and wouldn’t have stopped Man Utd deal'

Thomas Tuchel reportedly felt Matthijs de Ligt’s build-up play was too slow, leading to his transfer to Manchester United. The 25-year-old secured a move to the Premier League giants for £42million last month, just two years after joining the German club in a £68million move from Juventus.

Despite making a name for himself at just 18 years of age with Ajax under current United boss Erik ten Hag, the Dutch international’s progress has been somewhat hindered in recent years. In his final season in Germany, De Ligt found himself as Tuchel’s fourth-choice central defender, behind Kim Min-jae, Dayot Upamecano, and ex-Tottenham Hotspur star, Eric Dier.

According to tz, a Munich-based tabloid with regular access to Bayern matches, Tuchel’s frustration with De Ligt’s style of play was the reason behind his fall down the pecking order in Bavaria, reports the Mirror. The former Chelsea boss reportedly believed that De Ligt was too slow when building up play and frequently played too many sideways passes.

De Ligt has already made three appearances for United since signing and had his first start in their 3-0 defeat by Liverpool at Old Trafford. Due to Stefan de Vrij’s muscular injury, De Ligt reclaimed his spot in the starting line-up alongside Netherlands and Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk during the Nations League this past week where he struggled in games against Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Germany.

The defender was taken off at half-time during the 2-2 draw with Germany on Tuesday (September 10), having been involved in both goals conceded. Netherlands manager Ronald Koeman confessed that he “protected” the player by substituting him at the break.

“Of course I would rather have kept [Matthijs de Ligt] on the pitch,” Koeman told Dutch broadcaster NOS. It just looks like he is now in a period where all his mistakes are being punished. I gave him a new chance today but eventually I protected him by taking him off.”

The Dutchman’s return to the starting line-up came after a dismal Euro 2024 campaign where he failed to play a minute of action while the Netherlands reached the semi-finals of the competition. They lost 2-1 to England with Ollie Watkins scoring the last-minute winner.