4 reasons why Matthijs de Ligt will rediscover his best form with Man Utd

Manchester United will be hoping that the Matthijs de Ligt they have signed is the Ajax colossus who was dominating in the Champions League at 19 years of age, rather than the one who ended up falling behind Eric Dier in the pecking order at Bayern Munich.

De Ligt's career has somewhat stalled since he became the toast of Europe while still a teenager.

Successive moves to Juventus and Bayern haven't really worked out for the Dutch centre-back, with the transfer fees getting progressively smaller each time he has moved on.

United negotiated what appears to be a very favourable deal with Bayern that starts at £38.5m, with a possible further £5m in add-ons, and have acquired a player who is noted for both his physicality and confidence with the ball at his feet that seems a perfect match for the Premier League.

Watch as Jacob Culshaw and Scott Saunders sit down to discuss Man Utd's signings of Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui, who join the club from Bayern Munich as the club's third and fourth signings of the summer. What is Erik ten Hag's best XI this season?

1. Back with Ten Hag

It wasn't Erik ten Hag who gave De Ligt his senior debut at Ajax, but the United boss is the coach who has had the single greatest impact on his career to date.

Within three months of taking charge of the Amsterdam giants at the start of 2018, Ten Hag had named an 18-year-old De Ligt his new captain. Their relationship blossomed and it was De Ligt, along with Frenkie de Jong, who most captivated audiences across Europe as Ajax reached the Champions League semi-finals the following year and were within a kick of reaching the final too.

"Erik ten Hag shaped the early stages of my career, so he knows how to get the best out of me and I cannot wait to work with him again," De Ligt said upon his unveiling in Manchester.

If there is anyone who knows how to get the best out of De Ligt, it is Ten Hag.

2. Better suited than Maguire

United have made a concerted effort to change the dynamic of their defence this summer. Andre Onana has already stated his intention to take risks in an attempt to build play from the back and that ball-playing style is not geared to Harry Maguire's strengths - he has sometimes struggled when receiving the ball from the goalkeeper over the past year.

For as long as Leny Yoro is sidelined, the assumption is that Lisandro Martinez is the left centre-back and De Ligt is therefore in a battle with Maguire for the other starting berth. And while Maguire will remain a valued squad member, De Ligt is more comfortable with such demands on the ball.

United already have expansive full-backs in Luke Shaw (when fit) and Diogo Dalot, and have traded in the defence-first Aaron Wan-Bissaka to get another in Noussair Mazraoui, so it's absolutely possible to see the direction that Ten Hag wants his team to travel in.

3. Wrong situations at Juventus & Bayern

Why were Juventus and Bayern both prepared to accept a loss on De Ligt after only three and two years respectively? Ultimately, neither club was the right fit for him because of the bigger picture and it resulted in De Ligt not flourishing like he was expected to. That doesn't take away from his quality.

Serie A wasn't a league well-suited to De Ligt's skillset. Meanwhile, Juve's stranglehold was, by 2019, quickly loosening, which only piled the pressure on a big money signing, who had only just turned 20. De Ligt eventually played under three different managers in three years, while Juve haven't been champions since that first season, and the club was ultimately enveloped in scandal not long after he was sold.

Bayern and the Bundesliga seemed a better fit. But De Ligt wound up in a similar situation where another of Europe's longstanding domestic monopolies was unravelling. He had to go through more managerial changes and was regularly in and out of the team under Thomas Tuchel. Then, when new coach Vincent Kompany's preference was for Dayot Upamecano and Kim Min-jae, it was time to go.

Real life football is so much more than plug and play. The setting, environment and timing need to be right for the individual.

4. Time is on his side

Because De Ligt first became widely known at the age of 17, it is easy to forget that he's still got a lot of football ahead of him. He was born more recently than his new club won the Treble in 1999 and celebrated his 25th birthday on the day that his signing was announced.

Even if the last few seasons haven't panned out quite how he would have liked, time is very much on De Ligt's side when it comes to fulfilling his potential in the long-term.

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