Can Matthijs de Ligt fulfil his prodigious talent at Man Utd?

Matthijs de Ligt’s breakthrough at Ajax saw him become the first defender to win the Golden Boy award, establishing himself among the brightest young talents in Europe. 

Despite big money moves to Italian giants Juventus and later to Bayern Munich, his career has failed to reach the heights that everyone predicted. 

De Ligt has now lost his starting place in the Dutch national team, and while this seemed improbable a few years ago, Bayern are also prepared to sell him this summer. 

The 24-year-old is still a high-quality talent, and if reports are to be believed, he will soon be reunited with manager Erik ten Hag at Manchester United. 

With the departure of Raphael Varane, the Red Devils are in the market for central defensive reinforcements, and the manager’s admiration for De Ligt is no secret. 

The club confirmed the appointment of new sporting director Dan Ashworth this week, and it looks like his first piece of business will be to secure De Ligt's transfer and establish a strong defensive core for the upcoming season. 

Matthijs de Ligt Transfer Value - how much is he worth now? 

According to FootballTransfer's Player Valuation Model, De Ligt has a current Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €52.8m. 

This value has declined compared to the €85m and €67m fees paid by Juventus and Bayern, respectively. 

Bayern’s openness to sell, combined with the drop in his status, means that United can potentially secure a deal for around €40m. 

De Ligt is reported to have given the green light to the move, making this a potentially excellent piece of business for that price. 

How will De Ligt fit in at United? 

At youth level, De Ligt was moved into a midfield role and given more responsibility in possession. 

This is evident in his game as he offers both volume and accuracy with his passing. Last season, De Ligt attempted a solid 77 passes per 90 minutes, and only Jonathan Tah (94.7%) had a better pass success rate than him (94%) in the Bundesliga. 

The Dutchman will bring much-needed composure to the United backline and improve their build-up play with his evident on-ball quality. His comfort in playing in either a back three or four will also provide the manager with ample tactical flexibility. 

However, United do not dominate possession to the same extent as Ajax and Bayern, so De Ligt will likely have less time on the ball and be required to defend more frequently than he is accustomed to. 

So, how does he fare defensively? 

While De Ligt does not engage in a high volume of defensive actions, he is a powerhouse defender with the physicality to dominate one-on-one situations. 

Standing at 1.90 metres, he is dominant in the air, especially during attacking set pieces. He wins 2.6 aerial duels per 90, demonstrating that he can compensate for the loss of Varane. 

He reads the game well and has decent recovery pace to sweep in behind in a high line. Additionally, he can defend wide areas and is adept at stopping crosses. 

In 2018, Ten Hag made De Ligt the youngest captain in Ajax’s 118-year history. His 200 senior appearances and 45 international caps will add much-needed experience and leadership to a squad that sometimes lacked these qualities last season. 

Centre-backs tend to peak later in their careers, and with his best years still ahead of him, a reunion with Ten Hag could be exactly what is needed to revitalise De Ligt’s career.

This article was provided by FootballTransfers