August 12th 2024.
According to Micah Richards, Matthijs de Ligt would be a great addition to Manchester United's team. Despite concerns from other United legends such as Rio Ferdinand and Paul Scholes, Richards believes de Ligt has the potential to transform the team. After months of speculation, it seems that United will finally be signing De Ligt from Bayern Munich for a fee of €45million plus an additional €5million in add-ons. In addition to De Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui will also be joining the team from the Allianz Arena for €20million, replacing Aaron Wan-Bissaka who is moving to West Ham.
The signing of De Ligt has sparked a lot of debate, especially given his struggles since leaving Ajax in 2019 and unsuccessful stints at Juventus and Bayern. However, there are hopes that a reunion with former coach Erik ten Hag could revive his form. Despite this, there have been concerns voiced by United legends about the transfer. Scholes described De Ligt as "second-rate" while Ferdinand stated that he is "not the answer" to United's defensive issues.
However, Richards has a different perspective. He believes that De Ligt will be a valuable asset to the Red Devils this season and will help implement Ten Hag's style of play, something he has struggled to do since arriving in Manchester. Speaking on The Rest is Football podcast, the former Manchester City player said, "It looks like they've got De Ligt and Mazraoui through the door. When we talk about Man United and the way they play, the structure of the team, sometimes they sit really deep because they don't have the pace. But with De Ligt in the team, they can afford to be more adventurous."
Richards made these comments while analyzing United's loss to City on penalties in the Community Shield last Saturday. He noted that the team looked promising, especially with players like Amad Diallo and Alejandro Garnacho pushing for a start. Despite missing some chances, Marcus Rashford is still a threat and Bruno Fernandes was excellent in the game. Richards also praised Casemiro for his passing and movement. He believes that United has a lot of positives to take from their performance against a team like City who are known for their possession-based style of play.
Overall, Richards is optimistic about United's upcoming season and thinks that the addition of De Ligt and Mazraoui could be a game-changer for the team. He also mentioned that there is a lot of potential in the younger players, which could only make the team stronger. With talented players like De Ligt in their ranks, United's future is looking bright.
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