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Former Ajax, Real Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur star Rafael van der Vaart has indicated that Manchester United defender Matthijs de Ligt has never been the same since leaving Ajax.
De Ligt joined United in the summer from Bayern Munich in a deal worth around £38.6m plus a further £4.3m in add-ons.
After being named on the bench for the club’s first two Premier League matches vs. Fulham and Liverpool, De Ligt was handed his first start in a 3-0 loss to Liverpool.
Despite the humiliating defeat, he gave a decent account of himself and was one of the few United players who left the pitch with any credit.
However, the international break has been a difficult one for De Ligt as he committed high-profile errors in both of the Netherlands’ clashes against Bosnia and Herzegovina and more recently, Germany.
His mistake-strewn performance vs. Germany led to his substitution at half-time, with Ronald Koeman admitting that he took off the United man to protect him.
Former Netherlands international Van der Vaart spoke to Metro and said that De Ligt is now in a “tough phase” of his career.
Van der Vaart further said, “I’m a big fan of him and his qualities but I also have to be honest. When he left Ajax, he has never been the same.”
“I think his career is a little bit stuck. I was there yesterday [for the Netherlands vs Germany game] and he made mistakes again and when you’re not in a good flow, every fault results in a goal. Every mistake leads to a chance.”
“I think he was also a bit unlucky so I still believe in his quality so I hope with ten Hag he can get his confidence back because at the end of the day, it is all about confidence. He is still a young guy, playing for a big club. or the national team he made a big mistake but recovered. Normally it is no problem. But now, it is already a long time he is not playing well. But quality-wise he is still a great defender.”
According to Van der Vaart, De Ligt should be wary of losing his place in the United team to Harry Maguire, who has proven he still has plenty to offer.
“I think de Ligt plays ahead of him [Maguire]. As a new player you would expect him to start but at the end of the day you have to play well. If he continues like this Harry is going to take his chance again. I have to say, Harry also played some really good games lately. I think Matthijs will feel the pressure.”
“I think he [Maguire] still has a big role to play. I was someone who said some bad things about his quality because at the time it was too much money for a normal player. He had some really bad games and made some big mistakes but mentally wise he has been really strong. He always came back strong last season, he has a really strong mind and I think he’s happy there. They [the staff] love him there so I think he will get his chances.”
The Dutch legend explained that Joshua Zirkzee – who United acquired in the summer from Bologna – has what it takes to become a staple at Old Trafford.
Van der Vaart mentioned that Zirkzee can bring something different to the side when Rasmus Hojlund is struggling.
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