He's played 70 games for Ten Hag: Man Utd eye 42m Branthwaite rival
He's played 70 games for Ten Hag: Man Utd eye 42m Branthwaite rival
One of the common occurrences at Manchester United since Erik ten Hag has been in charge of the club is to sign players directly from, or with a connection to his former club Ajax. This has happened on multiple occasions, with the Dutchman regularly turning to his former club in order to bring in some familiar faces.
In total, Ten Hag has made 16 signings across four windows as United boss, with four of them having direct links to Ajax, and a further four having some kind of connection to Dutch football; Mason Mount had a loan spell at Vitesse, Tyrell Malacia came through the academy at Feyenoord, Sofyan Amrabat his former player at Utrecht and Wout Weghorst playing for several Dutch clubs.
Then, there are those with direct links to Ajax. Christian Eriksen played for Ajax earlier in his career before moving to Tottenham. Both Lisandro Martinez and Antony played under Ten Hag during his final seasons at the Dutch giants, and Andre Onana was a part of the hugely successful 2018/19 Champions League run where they made the semi-finals.
Now, Ten Hag is once again linked with a former Ajax player, who was a teammate of Onana’s during their remarkable Champions League campaign in 2018/19.
Man Utd target Dutch defender
The player in question here is Bayern Munich and Netherlands defender Matthijs de Ligt. After leaving Ajax in 2019 to join Juventus, the Dutchman now finds himself at the German giants but could depart the club this summer.
Indeed, that is according to journalist Florian Plettenberg, who reports that the Red Devils “have started internal discussions” over the potential signing of De Ligt. As per the report, this is “primarily” to do with De Ligt’s former boss, Ten Hag, showing interest in adding his former captain to the United squad.
The report from Plettenberg does not include any other interested parties, meaning United could have a clear and unopposed run at the 24-year-old Netherlands international. However, he does specify that there have not been “any concrete moves” as of yet and that United are merely “in the process of gathering more information” about a transfer.
Plettenberg reports that a fee of around €50m (£42m) could be enough to sign De Ligt this summer, which is perhaps a surprising amount, given it would see Bayern make a loss. They paid £65.6m back in 2022 to acquire his services from Italian giants Juventus.
Why De Ligt would be a good signing
There is no doubt that United need to make at least one addition at centre-back this summer. Legendary Frenchman Raphael Varane has departed the club upon the expiration of his contract, with Red Devils icon Jonny Evans’ deal also up in a few weeks.
United have had an offer for one centre-back rejected already this summer. Everton turned down a bid for Jarrad Branthwaite, worth £35m, with the BBC reporting that they want closer to £80m. Thus, for half of the price, De Ligt could be a perfect alternative or rival.
Looking on a pure statistical front, De Ligt’s in-possession numbers stack up very well against the England international, as per FBref. The Dutchman averages 6.36 progressive passes per 90 minutes, compared to Branthwaite’s 2.14, and has a far better pass completion rate of 93.9% compared to Branthwaite’s 79.8%.
The 24-year-old’s ball-carrying stats are also slightly better than Branthwaite's. Whilst it is not necessarily a key feature of his game, De Ligt averages 1.04 progressive carries per 90, with Branthwaite’s just 0.06.
However, defensively the Everton man trumps De Ligt. Branthwaite averages a higher aerial win rate of 68.6% compared to De Ligt’s 59.4%, more ball recoveries per 90, specifically 5.23 compared to the Dutchman’s 4.74 and more tackles and interceptions made, with 3.35, with De Ligt slightly lower at 2.21 per 90.
In signing De Ligt, United would still be adding a quality defender to their squad, who is a more than capable box defender. Whilst not as mobile or adept at defending wide areas as Branthwaite, the former Ajax man is still a great defender.
The 24-year-old struggled with injuries all too often last season. He played just 30 times in all competitions, missing 20 games for both club and country with various injuries, notably a knee ligament issue. He worked hard to get himself in favour with outgoing Bayern Munich manager Thomas Tuchel, however, and became an integral player at the end of the season.
De Ligt's record under Ten Hag
With that being said, perhaps a move to United is a smart idea to help his career get back on the right track. De Ligt first made a name for himself playing under Ten Hag, and he is the manager he has played under the most in his career.
The United boss clearly thinks highly of him, having resigned to a sale of De Ligt in 2019, explaining that there was “zero chance” of him staying at Ajax, to which he was later proved right when he moved to Juventus. He attributed Ajax’s ability to play courageous and creative football “because De Ligt is our captain”, very high praise from your manager aged just 19. Not only that, Ten Hag noted his former captain’s love for the “art of defending” as a real strong point in his game.
Indeed, De Ligt’s leadership that he could bring to United to help fill the void of the soon-to-depart Varane. In the past, the World Cup winner’s leadership has been highlighted by several notable figures in French football. His captain in that successful 2018 tournament, Hugo Lloris, explained that Varane is a “leader in our team”, and former Real Madrid boss and one of France’s all-time greats, Zinedine Zidane, noted that on many occasions Varane has the “ability to be a leader”.
Bringing in a player who Ten Hag both views and values so much as a leader would go a long way to helping United fill the Varane void. Not only that, he helps save money on the Branthwaite deal, which are funds that can be reinvested elsewhere into the squad. On the face of things, it seems like a deal United should strongly consider, especially for the rumoured £42m fee.
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