Bayern Munich boss Vincent Kompany reportedly made a shocking admission to Matthijs de Ligt before the defender completed his move to Manchester United.
Manchester United’s defense was a significant weakness last season, prompting the club to strengthen Erik ten Hag’s options this summer.
Last week, United secured the signing of Matthijs de Ligt from Bayern Munich for an initial £38.5 million.
De Ligt joined Noussair Mazraoui in moving from Munich to Manchester, with United paying an initial fee of £12.8 million for Mazraoui.
United initially targeted Everton centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite but seized the unexpected opportunity to acquire De Ligt.
Although De Ligt, who previously played under Ten Hag at Ajax and was the club’s youngest captain at 18, was anticipated to stay at Bayern under new manager Vincent Kompany, there were rumors about the club’s doubts regarding his ability to play from the back.
Despite these concerns and limited appearances last season due to a knee injury and the performance of January signing Eric Dier, Kompany intended to retain De Ligt.
Reports suggest De Ligt had a meeting with the coach, feeling he might be pushed out of the club.
According to The Athletic, De Ligt’s representatives maintain that Kompany assured the 25-year-old that he was not behind the decision to sell him and emphasized that De Ligt was his “No 1 defender.”
De Ligt’s camp believes that the decision to move him on was made by the club’s higher-ups rather than Kompany himself.
However, a Bayern spokesperson refuted these claims when contacted by The Athletic.
De Ligt made his debut for United as a substitute in their Premier League opening day victory over Fulham last week.
