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Bayern Munich reportedly had major concerns over Manchester United defender Matthijs de Ligt’s agility when he was at the German club.
The Dutchman was signed by Bayern in the summer of 2022 after three years at Juventus and was viewed as one of Europe’s elite young defenders.
Despite winning the Bundesliga in his first season, his time at the club was hardly a clearcut success and, after only two years, he was sold to United this summer to reunite with his former boss at Ajax, Erik ten Hag.
De Ligt started his United career well, scoring in a 3-0 victory over Southampton last month but he was heavily criticised whilst on international duty with the Netherlands.
His form did not get any better when he put in a couple of less than convincing performances for his club in a 0-3 loss to Tottenham Hotspur and 3-3 draw with FC Porto, which then saw himself and Lisandro Martinez dropped for Jonny Evans and Harry Maguire for last weekend’s match against Aston Villa.
To add to De Ligt’s woes, The Daily Mail report that “Bayern Munich coaches had become deeply concerned by Matthijs de Ligt’s lack of flexibility during his final season in Bavaria.”
It is believed that the German club were left “disappointed” by the 25-year-old defender’s progression and “lack of mobility.”
“Sources have indicated that there were increasing reservations about the amount of time De Ligt was spending in the gym and the impact it was having on the elasticity in his frame.”
United and Ten Hag are said to have been aware of Munich’s concerns before they committed to finalising a deal for £38.5 million.
De Ligt has already faced the wrath of the British media as Owen Hargreaves labelled his performance versus Porto a “nightmare”
Nonetheless, he has also received praise as former United defender Wes Brown labelled him the “best natural defender” at the club and German footballing legend Lothar Matthäus claimed Bayern had made a grave mistake in selling the player.
Whilst the Dutchman’s start as a United player has been far from ideal, it is still way too early to draw any definitive conclusions on the centre back. In a time of massive flux in the club and numerous players underperforming, he will hope he can turn his form around in the coming months and years.
Featured image Shaun Botterill via Getty Images
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