The £55m defender who could drastically improve Man Utd - if football doesn't leave him behind

There isn’t much doubt that Manchester United are in the market for a new centre-half in the summer. Several high-profile defenders have been linked with a move to Old Trafford as they look to refresh a back line that has struggled for consistency over the past couple of seasons, but now a new name has been thrown out there by several media outlets including The Sun, and that’s Matthijs de Ligt of Bayern Munich. Not so long ago, the 24-year-old was one of the most feted young players in Europe – but would he be the right buy for United?

De Ligt is currently under contract with Bayern until 2027, but is reportedly growing frustrated by a lack of game time after losing his start spot to summer signing Kim Min-Jae. The former Napoli man ceded his spot to De Ligt when he was called up to play in the Asian Cup for South Korea, but took it right back upon his return.

The former Ajax defender was once touted as a future great ahead of a €75m (£63.8m) move to Juventus but is now unable to get himself on the team sheet and watched their 3-0 defeat to Bayer Leverkusen, the most important match of Bayern’s campaign so far, from the bench.

That being the case, it’s understandable if De Ligt wants to move on while his stock remains high – the question is why he has fallen down the pecking order in Bavaria, and whether that should set any alarm bells ringing in Salford before they start negotiations on a deal.

De Ligt’s CV is impressive, but not perhaps as gilded as many assumed it would be when he left Ajax for Juventus back in 2019. At that stage he was already the youngest captain in the great Dutch club’s history and became the first defender to win the Golden Boy award in 2018. His future seemed to be sparkling.

Instead it has been… decent. Good. But little better. He won Serie A and the Coppa Italia once each while in Turin but was sold on to Bayern at a slight loss instead of becoming the long-term club legend he was signed to be. Since arriving in Bavaria last year, he has earned a German championship winner’s medal but has now been dropped, and there is a feeling that despite the fact that he is still relatively young, the changing nature of the game may be leaving him behind.

Many top managers now want centre-backs who aren’t just comfortable with the ball at their feet but also adept at moving it quickly forward into attacking areas. In the age of the high press, defenders with the ability to bypass it, either with accurate long-range distribution or dribbling skills, are highly valued. De Ligt, meanwhile, is simply not that type of player.

He has plenty of standout qualities. His marking, off-ball movement and positional sense are second almost to none. His judgement in the tackle is rock solid, and he’s superb in the air. His mental game is unimpeachable and his passing is calm and economical. By most standards, he is a superb defender – but he lacks the press-resistant qualities that his current manager, Thomas Tuchel, demands.

His passing game is absolutely fine but he keeps it simple, knocking the ball short distances under pressure and rarely looking to pierce the line of opposing players in front of him. Tuchel prioritises defenders who have vertical passing skills and who can get the ball moving forward quickly – Kim and his regular defensive partner Dayot Upamecano can do that, but De Ligt can’t. He’s also not one of nature’s dribblers and can’t reliably beat his man on the ground one-on-one.

He's still a superb defender, but we’re increasingly moving towards a tactical paradigm in which defence really is the first line of attack, and the ability to manoeuvre the ball forward quickly and precisely is increasingly important. De Ligt, who would be considered world class a decade or so ago when the demands of his role were different, is simply not the kind of centre-half that many top teams want any more.

Which isn’t to say that such an outlook is universal. There are plenty of managers who would rightly want De Ligt for his excellent defensive capabilities – but should United be one of them if the opportunity does arise?

That depends largely on whether they persist with Erik ten Hag or with their current brand of football. United, as it stands, attempt to play a direct passing game which looks to get the ball forward to the front three at speed – but they aren’t asking their defence to do the distribution. Instead, the onus for those medium and long-range passes lies with the midfield, and the defence’s job is slightly more old-fashioned.

The question is whether that’s the way Ten Hag actually envisions it, or whether it’s simply down to the resources at hand. None of United’s centre-halves look to play direct vertical passes, and none of them are high-quality ball-carriers save for the oft-injured Lisandro Martínez. This is not a defence that could play Tuchel’s game, and as such they look to keep it simple and simply shepherd the ball towards the next phase of play.

All of which leaves United with a less penetrative build-up plan, and that is part of the problem they have with executing a more direct style. With the midfield forced to come deep to start moves, when they do get the ball forward fast the forwards are then isolated from a midfield which can’t get up in support quickly enough.

There are other ways around it, of course. United could invest in much more aggressive full-backs who can offer direct play in wide areas, for example. Or they could try and construct a more mobile midfield, or play a higher line to reduce the gap between attack and defence – although that would not suit De Ligt either, as he also lacks the kind of genuine pace necessary to play a very aggressive line.

If United do decide to continue operating with a defence built along the same lines as their current back four, however, then De Ligt could be a perfect fit. Something need to change for United, but it doesn’t have to be the role of the centre-halves. If you’re doing things in a slightly more old-fashioned way at the heart of your defence, then the Dutchman is about as good as it gets, even if he doesn't come cheap. The current reports don't credibly mention a price tag, but Transfermarkt estimate his value at €65m (£55.3m), for whatever that might be worth.

It isn’t clear whether Bayern would allow De Ligt to leave, and nor is it clear that Tuchel will be in the job next season. They lag behind a staggeringly impressive Leverkusen in the Bundesliga title race, and a year without silverware usually means a change in the dugout for Germany’s most successful side. If Tuchel leaves, his ideas may end up being jettisoned with him and the stage could be set for De Ligt to thrive once more.

But if the current situation persists, then it would seem that a divorce is likely. De Ligt is entering what should be his prime years and is unlikely to be content with a benchwarming role. Bayern, meanwhile, will not wish to continue spending a reported £260,000 per week on a player that they don’t have a starting role for. If that’s how it all pans out, then United may be poised to pounce – but they should ask themselves what they want their new defence to look like before they open up their chequebook.