MANCHESTER UNITED fans have leapt to the defence of new signing Matthijs de Ligt.
The Red Devils announced that De Ligt had completed his £45m switch from Bayern Munich on Tuesday.
De Ligt, 25, arrives at Old Trafford alongside side fellow Bayern wantaway Noussair Mazraoui in a double swoop for the Premier League giants.
Fans are already excited to get a glimpse of De Ligt in action with the Dutch international previously playing for top teams across Europe in the shape of Ajax, Juventus and Bayern.
But Sky Sports pundit Tim Sherwood isn’t totally convinced that the new arrival is the right man for the job at United, insisting that he may not be an improvement on the defenders Erik ten Hag already has at his disposal.
He said: “If I was a Man Utd fan I wouldn’t be jumping up and down with excitement.
“When he was a little bit younger he was a very good player and a good prospect, but he’s gone to a big club in Bayern Munich and he’s lost his way.”
Adding: “Do I think he’s better than Harry Maguire? I’m not sure. He’s certainly not better than [Lisandro] Martinez.”
Harry Maguire has come under fire over recent seasons for a drop off in form and started just 18 league games for United last season.
De Ligt was viewed in a similar vein in Bavaria last term, making just 16 Bundesliga starts for Bayern and falling behind Eric Dier in the pecking order at the Allianz Stadium.
BEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERS
Nonetheless, United fans have fumed at the suggestion that De Ligt isn’t an upgrade on their current centre-back options, taking to social media to hit out at Sherwood’s comments.
One wrote: “Lmao get this guy off TV!”
While another added: “He must be insane if he thinks Harry Maguire is better than De Ligt…”
And a third asked: “Does anybody take this guy seriously?”
However, others seemed to agree with the former Aston Villa and Tottenham boss – suggesting De Ligt has struggled since leaving Ajax in 2019.
One wrote: “He couldn’t get a game ahead of Eric Dier. Quality a few years ago as a kid though!”
And another chimed in, writing: “He’s got a point… he might work out, but it’s signing a ‘name’. It’s still the same old United.”
Fans aren’t the only ones who agree with Sherwood either, Man Utd club legend Paul Scholes also voiced his concerns around the signing earlier this week.
Scholes, who was speaking on The Overlap Fan Debate, brought to you by Sky Bet, said: “With Man Utd, we’re talking about players who can’t get into their team.
“He’s [De Ligt] not playing for them [Bayern], that has to be a big concern, especially when Eric Dier is playing in front of him.
“That is a massive concern for me.”
One of Man Utd manager Erik ten Hag’s biggest headaches has been fixing their leaky defence.
Despite still not being anywhere near his peak years De Ligt has built considerable experience so far in his career with Ajax, Juventus and Bayern Munich and he has 45 caps at senior level for the Dutch national team.
While he is not necessarily a highly modern ball playing type of defensive player he is a player with the defensive strengths and instincts to help shore up a United defence that was, at best, leaky last season.
He has a great ability to read the game which was one of the biggest issues that we saw from the United defensive unit last season.
De Ligt is also a master in one-on-one situations, who shows strength and intensity in his duels.
The Dutch star does a good job in keeping things simple and tends to make good decisions in possession.
The pursuit of Matthijs de Ligt makes perfect sense for United and for Ten Hag as a young defender who is still to reach his peak.
He has considerable experience at a high level and he understands the game model and system of play of the manager.
Click here to read our full analysis on De Ligt joining Manchester United.
De Ligt made his name at Ajax as a youngster, playing under current United boss Erik ten Hag for the Amsterdam club.
And Ten Hag even made him the youngest captain in the club’s history, aged just 19.
However, Scholes isn’t convinced that United should be choosing their new signings based off Ten Hag’s familiar faces.
He added: “When you’re bringing in players for £40m, £50m just because he’s played for him [Ten Hag] two or three years ago.
“Juventus got rid of him, he wasn’t good enough there and he obviously hasn’t been good enough at Bayern Munich.
“He’s coming to us almost like a second-rate defender.”
De Ligt and Mazraoui join Leny Yoro as United’s three defensive acquisitions this season.
The Red Devils have invested heavily in bolstering their back line, but will be without 18-year-old wonderkid Yoro for the start of the season after he picked up an injury on his pre-season debut.
The £52m centre-back has had to undergo surgery following a metatarsal injury that could keep him out of action for up to THREE MONTHS.
United start their league campaign on Friday as they welcome Fulham to the Theatre of Dreams for the curtain raiser of the new Premier League season.
