Bayern Munich’s new head coach Vincent Kompany reportedly did not want to sell Matthijs De Ligt this summer. The Dutch center-back was previously considered one of the best young players in his position in all of Europe. For this reason, Bayern management eagerly paid Juventus $74 million to sign the star just two years ago. Nevertheless, De Ligt recently moved from the German giants to Manchester United for around $50 million.

De Ligt’s time in Germany may not be looked back on very positively. The defender helped Bayern to the Bundesliga title in his first season with the club, but his playing time gradually decreased in 2023. This came at a time when Thomas Tuchel replaced Julian Nagelsmann as the team’s head coach.

Under the new coach, De Ligt faced strong competition in central defence alongside Kim Min-jae and Dayot Upamecano. Both players are highly valued by almost every top coach on the continent. Bayern also decided to loan Eric Dier from Tottenham Hotspur in the middle of the 2023/24 season.

New Bayern coach sees de Ligt as his “number one defender”

Despite Tuchel apparently preferring other defenders, the German parted ways with the club in May. Bayern then decided to hire Vincent Kompany as their next head coach. Many connected to the situation therefore believed that De Ligt would retain his place in the usual starting eleven for most Bundesliga matches. 70,000 Bayern fans signed a petition urging the club to keep him.

However, this did not happen and De Ligt is now a Manchester United player. Nevertheless, there are new claims that Kompany was not responsible for the sale of the Dutch star. The new manager was preparing to rely heavily on De Ligt in the 2024/25 season.

Accordingly The athleteDe Ligt met with Kompany in person earlier this summer to ask him why he was up for sale. The player’s camp claims that the defender was informed directly by the coach that the decision was not his. Instead, the Bayern management made the decision.

In addition, Kompany is said to have told de Ligt that he would be his “number one defender” in the future. The news portal has since contacted a Bayern official to ask him about the claims. The source at the club denied that Kompany had made these specific statements.

Defender hopes to get his career back on track with a well-known player

Time will tell which club benefits most from the big transfer. However, playing for United seems to be the best scenario to get De Ligt’s career back on track. The defender previously played for Red Devils coach Erik ten Hag during his time at Ajax. At the Dutch club, the defender made a name for himself as a top talent.

Months before moving to Manchester, De Ligt realised how much Ten Hag had influenced his early career as a player. “(Ten Hag was) the most important coach for my development,” De Ligt said in February. “Even at 18, he saw in me someone who could lead a team, who could lead by example, who could be a good captain.”

De Ligt made his official United debut last Friday as a substitute, but the Dutchman is expected to play a key role alongside Lisandro Martinez throughout the 2024/25 season. United next face Brighton on Saturday 24 August.

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