Manchester United star Matthijs de Ligt has revealed the incredible lessons that he learned from two “amazing” players ahead of his blockbuster move to Old Trafford.
Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui both arrived at the Premier League club this summer after Manchester United signed them from Bayern Munich.
United secured a £38.5m fee, including a further £4.3m in add-ons, to sign De Ligt, with the Red Devils agreeing an overall deal worth nearly £60m for the two players.
De Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui were both reunited with United boss Erik ten Hag, having played under the United manager during their time at Dutch side Ajax.
Erik ten Hag welcomed the signings of the two former Ajax stars, with United heavily reinforcing the Dutchman’s first-team squad this summer.
Mazraoui received his first United start last week and impressed on his club debut in the 1-0 Premier League win over Fulham at Old Trafford.
De Ligt, on the other hand, came off the bench late in the second half and replaced Mazraoui for United’s first Premier League match of the 2024-25 campaign.
De Ligt singles out two players
Matthijs de Ligt made a real name for himself at Ajax and was promoted to the captaincy under Erik ten Hag, with the Dutch defender impressing at the club.
The 25-year-old Manchester United summer signing then moved to Serie A side Juventus in 2019 as part of a £67.5m deal.
De Ligt lifted a Serie A trophy and a Coppa Italia with the Old Lady before Bayern Munich snapped up the Dutchman for £65.6m in 2022.
During his two seasons at Bayern, the United centre-back captured a Bundesliga title and made 73 appearances for the German club.
De Ligt has shared the pitch with a roster of talented players across his entire career, including United legend Cristiano Ronaldo at Juventus.
However, the Netherlands international admitted that Bayern duo Manuel Neuer and Thomas Muller had a massive impact on him at the Bundesliga side.
“In Bayern, I played with Neuer, with Muller… serial winners who’ve won everything, like the World Cup, the Champions League, the Bundesliga, everything,” De Ligt told Manchester United’s official website.
“Just looking at these guys and learning certain things from them, it’s always so valuable.
“[Besides] they are amazing players, they are above all also amazing human beings.”
Man Utd star De Ligt on ‘most important’ claim
De Ligt has insisted that for him being a “kind human being” is as equally as important – if not more important – than being an “amazing” footballer.
“I think that’s the most important thing, besides being an amazing football player, also being a really good and kind human being,” he continued.
“Because I think, in the end, that makes also the group and the team special.
“If you have a good group… obviously, you can say the truth to each other, but also have a good connection together. That’s a lot of things that I learned from them.”
from United In Focus https://ift.tt/ZJpPxLo