On July 2, the British media outlet Manchester Evening News reported that Mourinho was interested in the defender De Ligt, who currently plays for Bayern Munich, during his time as manager of Manchester United.
In recent days, the Dutchman’s name has been linked with Old Trafford.
Six years ago, Matthijs de Ligt broke a record when he started for Ajax against Manchester United in the 2018 Europa League final. At the time, he was 17 years and 285 days old, making him the youngest player to start in a European competition final. The same year, he became the youngest player in Dutch history to make his official debut.
It is reported that Manchester United’s current manager, Erik ten Hag, is interested in De Ligt. The defender is a contender to replace Raphael Varane as the core of Manchester United’s defense.
The player is still in good form, but he is working to fulfill the potential he had five years ago, when he was 19 and was seen as the heir to Giorgio Chiellini at Juventus. Back in 2019, Mourinho spoke about De Ligt.
Mourinho said: “Two years ago we played against De Ligt and he looked like a 26-year-old, more experienced than he appeared. He’s physically very strong. Now, two years later, he’s really a great footballer.”
Ten Hag, who was coaching Ajax in 2019, also had high praise for the young defender.
Ten Hag: “I don’t know if De Ligt has already shown 60-80% of his potential, but we are talking about one of the best defenders in Europe and I have no doubt that he will soon be the number one in this position.”
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