Man Utd close to signing him
It’s not official, it’s a foodie special.
“Matthias De Ligt and Nusair Mazrawi visited a restaurant in Manchester together,” reported British media outlet The Sun on March 13 (KST). They signed autographs and posed for photos with fans outside the building,” the Sun reported.
The transfer seems to be a done deal. The two players, who arrived in Manchester from Bayern Munich, have yet to make an official transfer announcement, but they have been spotted in the city often enough that their move to Manchester United is virtually confirmed.
De Ligt was once touted as a promising center back for the future of the Netherlands. His strong physicality gives him the edge in physical battles with opposing attackers. He also has good passing skills, which allows him to supply accurate passes forward.
With that kind of consistency, Der Licht gained a lot of attention with Ajax in the 2018-19 season. At the time, Ajax, led by head coach Erik ten Haag, had just reached the UEFA Champions League (UCL) quarterfinals. At the time, Ajax were not considered a UCL top-four contender. However, they eventually reached the last four thanks to the performances of their youngsters, including Der Licht. Although they fell short in the final to Tottenham, their miracle was worthy of applause.
Der Licht’s performance earned him a Juventus shirt shortly afterward. In three seasons with Juventus, he played 117 games in all competitions. He then joined Bayern Munich in 2022.
After a decent stint at Bayern Munich, he was given some good competition last season by the arrival of Kim Min-jae. In the beginning of the season, he missed a lot of time due to frequent injuries and naturally lost his place in the starting lineup to Kim Min-jae. However, during the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) 2023 Asian Cup in 토토사이트 Qatar, he regained his place in the starting lineup after forming a good partnership with Eric Dier.
However, Bayern Munich finished last season in the bottom half of the table, and Thomas Tuchel left the club at the end of the season. Tuchel’s successor, Vincent Kompany, wanted a defender like Kim Min-Jae who could play aggressive defense, and it became clear that Der Licht would leave Bayern Munich this summer.
Recognizing the situation, the ‘old master’ has reached out. Ten Haag’s United struggled with injuries in the backline last season, and Raphael Varane, their starter until last season, recently left the club. As a result, Van Gaal was in search of a new center back, and he chose De Ligt.
The Dutchman also wanted to move to United, and now he’s on the verge of doing just that. “After landing at Manchester Airport, De Ligt arrived at United’s training ground, Carrington, where he will undergo a medical and then finalize the transfer process,” Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano, who is familiar with the transfer market, said on December 12. The BBC added: “De Ligt and Mazurawi are on the verge of joining United from Bayern Munich. The pair have traveled for medicals and are set to join Van Gaal’s side for the upcoming season.”
All of these top-tier, authoritative local media outlets were quick to report the news. However, no official announcement had yet been made, and the two were walking around the city of Manchester as if the move had been finalized. They even visited a Manchester restaurant, signaling that the move was a done deal.
