Dwight Yorke has given a glowing assessment of Manchester United's capture of Matthijs de Ligt from Bayern Munich. The Dutch defender joined the Red Devils earlier this month in a reported £42 million deal.
De Ligt arrives off spells with Ajax, Juventus, and Bayern, and his three transfers make him the most expensive defender in history. He's come off the bench twice for Erik ten Hag's Reds thus far, a 1-0 win against Fulham and a 2-1 loss to Brighton & Hove Albion.
Yorke has high hopes for De Ligt, 25, at Manchester United and insists the Dutchman is a Sir Alex Ferguson-type signing. The Red Devils legend told Lord Ping:
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"Matthijs de Ligt is a signing that Sir Alex Ferguson would’ve made. There has been a lot of hype around him in the past even though things didn’t work out at Juventus, but you can see that he just needs the right club to get the best out of him."
De Ligt encountered a topsy-turvy time at Bayern where he perhaps failed to live up to expectations. He made 73 appearances at the Allianz Arena, winning the Bundesliga title, but fell down the pecking order last season.
Yorke alluded to this:
"It didn’t work out at Bayern Munich as well so there are some alarm bells there, especially considering that Eric Dier got in ahead of him which is quite concerning."
Manchester United were eager to replace Raphael Varane following the veteran French defender's exit. They signed Leny Yoro, 18, at the start of the summer but he's sidelined with an injury.
Yorke is enthused by De Ligt's addition to the team but noted how the Premier League can bring a lot of pressure:
"He is young and he’s replacing Raphael Varane alongside Lisandro Martinez who is very good when he is fit, I can see why United have paid the money. He will have to hit the ground running in the Premier League and get his confidence up, if he loses his debut he wouldn’t have experienced anything like that before, the scrutiny he could get at United."
De Ligt knows Ten Hag well from his time playing under the Dutch coach at Ajax. His development came while working with the current United boss, which bodes well for the Reds.
"A great player" - Jaap Stam thinks Manchester United's new boy De Ligt has huge potential
Jaap Stam thinks De Ligt has the potential to shine at Manchester United. Fans will be hoping the latter follows in the iconic Dutch defender's footsteps as he became an Old Trafford hero under Sir Alex.
Stam said regarding De Ligt (via One Football):
"De Ligt is a player that you would say, in potential and especially from his past at Ajax, he should be able to do that. A great player... I think he would fit in very well here. He has to want to do it himself, but I think he is a player who definitely fits in here. He is the type of player that every manager wants to work with."
De Ligt could make his first start for Manchester United in their clash with rivals Liverpool on Sunday (September 1). He will be eager to show the Old Trafford faithful why he was so highly coveted over several years by the Red Devils.
