Manchester United icon Paul Scholes believes that Matthijs de Ligt is not an upgrade on Harry Maguire. The Dutch defender joined the Red Devils this summer in a €50m deal from Bayern Munich and has since replaced the Englishman in the starting XI.
De Ligt played under Erik ten Hag at Ajax and the pair were reunited this year at Old Trafford. Since his arrival, the 25-year-old has already appeared six times for Manchester United, including three starts in the last three games in the Premier League.
Ten Hag has stationed Matthijs De Ligt alongside Lisandro Martinez, and Maguire has been relegated to the bench.
Last season, the Dutchman averaged 0.7 tackles, 0.9 interceptions and 2.4 clearances per game for Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga. Harry Maguire, meanwhile, registered 1.1 tackles, 1.1 interceptions and 3.8 clearances per 90 minutes for the Red Devils in the Premier League last season.
Speaking on The Overlap, Scholes insisted that Ten Hag was desperate to replace the 31-year-old with De Ligt.
“Erik ten Hag couldn’t wait to get Matthijs de Ligt instead of Harry Maguire, he was just waiting for the opportunity. I’m not sure it’s that much of an upgrade – De Ligt played against Southampton, Maguire would have been fine against Southampton,” said Scholes.
He continued:
“He might be slightly better, but it’s not a massive improvement where you think, ‘Wow’. It’s like that with all the signings.”
Scholes also pointed out that Erik ten Hag has a tendency to give his new signings time to acclimatize with their new surroundings.
“Manuel Ugarte was announced on the pitch for the Liverpool game and then he went away with Uruguay and with the South Americans, they don’t come back until a Friday sometimes and then they played at 12:30 pm on a Saturday at Southampton,” said Scholes.
He concluded:
“Erik] ten Hag’s a bit like that with his new players, he seems to take a little bit of time to bring them in – [Matthijs] de Ligt was the same. The only one who has come straight in is [Noussair] Mazraoui.”
Manchester United also signed Leny Yoro from Lille this summer, beating Real Madrid to the French defender’s signature.
Will Manchester United reinforce their backline in 2025?
Manchester United could be back in the market for a new defender next summer despite investing heavily in the backline this year. Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof are in the final year of their contracts at Old Trafford and are likely to leave.
Jonny Evans signed a one-year extension with the Red Devils this summer and could hang up his boots at the end of this season. The situation could leave Manchester United a little light at the back, and force them to head back into the market.
The Red Devils apparently had their eyes on Jarrad Branthwaite this summer, before balking at Everton’s asking price. They could return for the Englishman in 2025, according to Caught Offside.
