Manchester United have confirmed the double signing of defenders Matthijs De Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui from Bayern Munich. Both deals are for five years with an option for a further year.
United had been targeting the signing of two centre backs this summer and that has now been achieved, with De Ligt following the arrival of Leny Yoro from Lille. Meanwhile, full back Mazraoui is a direct replacement for Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who joined West Ham United earlier on Monday.
Both players as well known to United manager Erik Ten Hag, as they were part of the Ajax side who won the domestic double in 2018-19, also reaching the semi finals of the Champions League, beating Real Madrid and Juventus along the way
De Ligt- big game player at young age
By the time of that famous Champions League run, De Ligt had already written his name into the Ajax history books. He became the club’s second youngest goalscorer after scoring 25 minutes into his debut against Willem II in September 2016.
That season he became the youngest player to feature for the club in a European final when he featured in the Europa League Final against United in Stockholm. The following season he was named captain– against the youngest player in Ajax history to do so.
He won the Golden Boy Award for the best player aged Under 21 in 2018, the first time the award had been won by a defender. His performances inevitably attracted some of Europe’s top clubs and in 2019 he joined Juventus.
He spent three seasons in Turin, playing 117 games, before joining Bayern Munich in the summer of 2022. Despite a knee injury in the first half of last season he still featured 73 times during his time in Bavaria. He won league titles at both clubs.
What does Mazraoui bring to United?
Whilst De Ligt has been one of the most talked about young players in Europe over the last few years, 26 year old Mazraoui may not be as familiar to English fans, despite the fact they will now be team mates at a third different club, but what can United supporters expect from him?
He is mainly a right-back, although can also play on the left, meaning that both he and Diogo Dalot could be deployed on either flank- which will no doubt be useful to United considering their shortage at left back thanks to injury problems to Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia.
According to WhoScored, Mazraoui’s biggest strengths are passing and ball retention while he also rates highly for tackling and interception. He also has plenty of big game experience, having played in five of Morocco’s seven matches during their ground breaking run to the semi finals of the 2022 World Cup.
How quickly will they slot in?
One advantage both De Ligt and Mazraoui have is their experience of playing under Erik Ten Hag during their time at Ajax. This means that both players will already have good knowledge of how their manager likes to play and vice versa.
During their time at Ajax, they played alongside current United keeper Andre Onana, so that understanding between goalkeeper and back four should be enhanced and Onana will hope he isn’t quite as busy this season. In 2023-24, the Cameroon international had to make 149 saves, the fourth most in the league.
United will be hoping both will be able to make their debuts on Friday night when the Red Devils open the 2024-25 Premier League season in front of the Sky Sports cameras as they welcome Fulham to Old Trafford.