Ten Hag not the deciding factor for De Ligt in Man Utd move

Matthijs de Ligt has dismissed suggestions that Erik ten Hag was the deciding factor in his transfer to Manchester United.

The Dutchman, along with Noussair Mazraoui, joined the Red Devils in a double signing worth up to £60million from Bayern Munich in August.

De Ligt's breakthrough, however, came at Ajax under Ten Hag, with the manager making him the youngest-ever captain in the club's history during that time.

The following season, Ajax reached their first Champions League semi-final since 1997 and won the Eredivisie and KNVB Cup double before De Ligt left the club to join Juventus.

Ten Hag has often been criticised for targeting his former players during the transfer windows while at United, with De Ligt falling into that category.

However, the defender stressed a reunion with his former head coach was not what drew him to the Premier League.

"I'm already settled in Manchester and enjoying myself. The boys are great, everything was handled perfectly. There's also many Dutch guys on the staff", he told Dutch outlet Vandaag Inside, via Manchester Evening News.

"Erik ten Hag is not the only reason I joined United. We're talking about Manchester United here, one of the biggest clubs in the world.

"There's lots of pressure because the fans are used to things from the past. It's up to us to be as good as possible."

The 25-year-old has played just 89 minutes in the Premier League since joining United, getting his first start in their 3-0 defeat to Liverpool last time out, making just one interception and one tackle.

De Ligt was in the Netherlands' squad for Euro 2024, as the Oranje reached the semi-final, however, he did not play a single minute at the tournament.

Back in the fold for their first two Nations League matches, two lapses in concentration from De Ligt were punished against Bosnia-Herzegovina in the Netherlands' 5-2 victory.