Matthijs de Ligt red flags serve as major warning to Man Utd as they splash out £43m

Graeme Souness has highlighted four major concerns about Matthijs de Ligt’s proposed move to Manchester United. The Bayern Munich defender is nearing a move to Old Trafford, having flown to England for his medical on Monday, for a fee that could rise to £43million.

The Netherlands international is part of a double transfer for United alongside his Bayern team-mate Noussair Mazraoui. It remains to be seen how former Ajax prodigy De Ligt will fit into Erik ten Hag’s plans, with Lisandro Martinez, Harry Maguire, Jonny Evans and new £59million signing Leny Yoro already competing for centre-back berths.

De Ligt is a player that Ten Hag knows well from his time at Ajax, where he made the defender Ajax’s youngest-ever captain and helped establish him as one of the rising stars in world football. However, Souness is unconvinced that De Ligt is the right target for United, having failed to have a similar impact at Juventus or Bayern Munich since leaving his boyhood club in 2019.

“I’m doubtful about De Ligt. He didn’t get into the national team during the Euros, he was a squad member,” Souness said on talkSPORT. “He’s been at two enormous football clubs, they normally don’t like to sell players. That in itself tells a story. He was a star when he was a boy. Has he progressed since then? I’m not sure he is what Man United need at this time.”

De Ligt remained on the bench throughout the Euros, with manager Ronald Koeman preferring experienced Inter Milan defender Stefan de Vrij next to Virgil van Dijk at the back. Souness is also right to highlight that two elite clubs have been willing to sell De Ligt but there are mitigating factors behind his career path so far.

Juventus have long been battling with financial issues – which led to a ban from European competition last season – and could not afford to turn down Bayern’s reported £65million offer. In Bayern’s case, the club brought in Kim Min-jae from Napoli last summer and could bank £43millon for arguably their third-choice centre-back. Despite this, the centre-back will still have a point to prove at United.

De Ligt’s rapid ascent at Ajax understandably led to high expectations, though he did play the majority of league matches at Juventus and Bayern until last season. Souness agrees that United need to strengthen their centre-back options but fears that De Ligt may be fundamentally unsuited to the physical nature of the Premier League.

“Jonny Evans played 23 times for Man United, they desperately need a centre-half,” Souness admitted. “I look at De Ligt, he’s a lightweight centre-half.

What you want from a centre-half first and foremost is to defend. It would appear that some coaches and managers think it’s all about playing out from the back. Keep the ball out the back of the net.”