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Matthijs de Ligt is once again being linked to Manchester United, as Erik ten Hag looks to strengthen his defence in preparation for the upcoming campaign.
A new centre back or two should be a priority in the summer transfer window for United, given they have limited defensive options ahead of the 2024–25 campaign following Raphael Varane’s departure. United has had its eye on De Ligt for a while, and Ten Hag’s team is now hoping to finally get the Dutchman to Old Trafford.
De Ligt has been on United’s wishlist for some time after the club expressed interest in the defender in 2019 after scouting him while he was still a teenager at Ajax. The 24-year-old moved to Juventus in 2019 after playing for Ajax under Ten Hag.
The defender has had difficulty getting into games since joining Bayern Munich two years ago. De Ligt did not play a minute for the Netherlands at Euro 2024 and started just 23 games for the German team previous season.
Using Matthijs de Ligt, Man United simulated their 2024–2025 campaign.
Before simulating the 2024–25 season, we moved De Ligt from Bayern Munich to United during the summer transfer window using Football Manager 2024. How the defender fared was as follows.
Ten Hag trusted De Ligt to back up Lisandro Martinez in United’s defence right away, and the Dutchman became one of the team’s most vital players very fast. He didn’t play as many games as planned due to a couple injuries, but when he did play, he was the team’s top defence.
In his debut season at United, De Ligt made 35 appearances in all competitions, ranking third in the United team overall with an average rating of 7.14 per game. Harry Maguire was selected to alternate with De Ligt while the latter was injured, and Martinez remained healthy throughout the season as the Mexican made 48 appearances.
De Ligt, who has made an outstanding impression on Manchester United, partners Martinez in the back and is a regular in the team’s top lineup. Mason Mount was chosen to play midfield with Bruno Fernandes and Kobbie Mainoo, while Aaron Wan-Bissaka was chosen over Diogo Dalot to start at right back.
Ten Hag’s team concluded the season with the second-best defensive record in the league. United was outstanding defensively in the Premier League, with relatively few defensive injury issues. United gave up just 22 goals in 38 games, but their offensive prowess was the thing that kept them out of the Champions League the next year.
United finished the season with 62 points after 17 victories, 11 draws, and 10 losses. A 0-0 stalemate on the last day of the season caused them to miss out on Champions League positions. United only scored 50 goals this season, which ranked 10th in the league, despite their outstanding defensive performance.
The simulation revealed how poorly United’s front line performed: eight of the eleven ties ended in 0-0 scores, and seven of the ten losses resulted in 1-0 scores. Ten Hag’s team was also unsuccessful in winning a cup; their greatest showing occurred in the Europa League semi-finals, where they were defeated 5-3 on aggregate by Porto.
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