Matthijs de Ligt's opinion of Erik ten Hag speaks volumes amid Man Utd transfer U-turn

Manchester United transfer target Matthijs de Ligt has made no secret of his admiration Erik ten Hag since working with the Dutchman at Ajax.

The Netherlands international, 24, came through the academy ranks at Amsterdam during Ten Hag's tenure and was given a chance to impress in the first-team by his compatriot whilst still a teenager.

De Ligt went on to become one of Ajax's most influential players before joining Juventus in 2019. The centre-half spent three years in Turin before transferring to German giants Bayern Munich, who are believed to be open to selling him this summer.

Manchester United are long-term admirers of De Ligt and have been linked with signing the player on several occasions in recent years. It has since emerged, report a from The Athletic, that the Red Devils are once again giving 'serious consideration' over a move for the talented defender.

It's well known that United are in the market for a central defender this summer - and while it remains to be seen if they will firm up their interest in De Ligt, he's already made it clear he would relish the opportunity to work with Ten Hag again after giving his former boss a ringing endorsement back in 2022.

Speaking shortly after Ten Hag had been confirmed as Manchester United's new manager, De Ligt tipped him to be a success, saying: "He is someone who loves his job and he loves to work. He wants to do everything to make his team play better. He's really into the details. This makes him a really good trainer who improves players. He has a lot of qualities to succeed and we will have to see how he goes.”

Although De Ligt is under contract at Bayern until 2027, it's understood that United view a deal for him as more realistic than some of their other targets, including Jarrad Branthwaite, who is valued at around £70million by Everton.

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Matthijs de Ligt

Now seen as a viable target for United, De Ligt made it clear just a few years ago that he had no interest in joining the Red Devils prior to his move to Juventus.

A source close to De Ligt said at the time: "Matthijs is going to become the best defender in the world. He will have the choice to join whoever he wants, but he has no interest in going to United.

"They are not the attractive proposition they once were. He knows he is in a strong bargaining position because his stock has risen so fast. He's one of the most in-demand stars on the planet."

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