Manchester United have been warned that signing Matthijs de Ligt could be a mistake.
This is the view of former Premier League striker and The Pitch Prospect presenter Tony Cascarino.
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The 25-year-old has travelled to Manchester alongside teammate Noussair Mazraoui for a medical ahead of a £60million double deal.
Both players previously played for Ajax under United boss Erik ten Hag.
Manchester football journalist Jamie Jackson joined Shebahn Aherne and Tony Cascarino on The Pitch Prospect Weekend Sports Breakfast to discuss the centre-back’s move.
“Man United have done this a lot,” said Cascarino.
“I watched De Ligt at Ajax, he moved to Juventus and then to Bayern Munich, and he is not quite as good as he was at Ajax.
“You see this slight drop in performance in a player, and yet United seem to want to sign him and rejuvenate him, revitalise his career. But that strategy hasn’t worked particularly well.”
Jackson agreed, adding: “Honestly, it doesn’t have to. That’s why I would have preferred Jarrad Branthwaite because he’s on the rise. He’s got pace, he’s strong and he’s a lot younger.”
The Red Devils were initially interested in the Everton star, but the asking price of £75 million was not an option for United.
“Man United are bringing in players who were great but not quite as good as they used to be,” Cascarino said.
De Ligt has made 73 appearances for Bayern Munich since his arrival in 2022, scoring five goals and providing two assists.
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He signed a five-year contract with Bayern for an initial fee reportedly worth £57 million. He made a strong start, scoring the goal of the month in April 2023 and being named player of the month in March and April.
His performance suffered from a recurring right knee injury in the first half of the 2023–24 season.
This led to him being surpassed in the starting eleven by Dayot Upamecano and Kim Min-jae, with Eric Dier eventually taking his place.
The situation is similar with Mazraoui, who often found himself behind Joshua Kimmich.
Cascarino said: “Josh Kimmich played a lot as a right-back last year. He was the second choice after Kimmich.”
Jackson added: “Eric Dier also seems to be ahead of De Ligt at Bayern Munich.
This decline in playing time and quality is also a major cause for concern.
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“If De Ligt is not good enough for Bayern Munich… hopefully he will work out for Man United,” Jackson said.
“With De Ligt we have to wait and see, the German league is not the best testing ground for the Premier League.
“Jadon Sancho is a good example of that. He was brilliant for Dortmund, especially in his first spell, but he just never managed that at Man United. I don’t want to be too negative, but there are question marks.”
De Ligt and Mazraoui would be Man United’s third and fourth new signings this season, following the signings of Leny Yoro and Joshua Zirkzee.