Paul Scholes has 'massive concern' about Matthijs de Ligt as Man Utd sign defender

Paul Scholes has expressed his concern about Matthijs de Ligt’s true quality ahead of his £43million transfer to Manchester United this summer. The Dutchman is landing at Old Trafford on the back of a difficult season at Bayern Munich, and Scholes has questioned his former club’s recruitment strategy.

On Sunday, United struck a £60m double deal with Bayern, which included a £17m agreement for De Ligt’s defensive partner Noussair Mazraoui.

Vincent Kompany, the Bundesliga giants’ new boss, had informed the pair that they didn’t feature in his plans for the upcoming campaign.

De Ligt was limited to just 16 league starts last term after falling out of favour under Thomas Tuchel, who signed Kim Min-jae last summer and preferred him alongside Dayot Upamecano.

Tuchel also sanctioned a swoop for Tottenham Hotspur defender Eric Dier in January, which further impacted De Ligt’s minutes.

The 24-year-old has showcased his quality across his spells at Ajax, Juventus and Bayern and boasts a unique level of experience for his age after debuting at age 17 in 2016.

However, Scholes has shed light on his frustrating 2023/24 campaign at Bayern, expressing doubt over whether he’ll be good enough to spark improvement at United.

“You know what? Manchester United are talking about bringing players in who can’t get in their team,” Scholes said on The Overlap Fan Debate.

“[De Ligt] from Bayern Munich… he’s not played for them. That’s a big concern for me, especially when Eric Dier’s playing in front of him. I’m not joking; that is a massive concern for me.

“You’re bringing in players for £40million, £50m, okay, just because he’s played for them three or four years ago…

“Juventus got rid of him; he wasn’t good enough at Juventus, he obviously hasn’t been good enough for Bayern Munich. He’s coming to us almost like a second-rate defender now.

“He might be [a good signing], don’t get me wrong. [His relationship with Erik ten Hag from Ajax] is a big boost, and he’s Dutch.”

Scholes noted that United should be more concerned about their attack despite splashing £36.5m to sign Bologna striker Joshua Zirkzee.

The Red Devils scored just 57 Premier League goals last season, and the club icon isn’t confident that will improve this term.

He added: “But you’ve also got to look at the forward players. We haven’t got… Hojlund, can he score 25 goals for us this season? I’d be amazed.”