De Ligt had been trained at the Ajax Amsterdam academy. He reunites with Erik Ten Hag, with whom he had reached the semi-finals of the Champions League in 2019 with the Amsterdam club. In the summer of 2019, he joined the ranks of Juventus for 85.5 million euros. Not spared by injuries, De Ligt totaled 117 matches for the ‘Old Lady’ before joining Bayern Munich in 2022, accumulating 73 matches over two seasons for the Bavarian club.
At 25, De Ligt has already won the league title in three countries with Ajax, Juventus and Bayern Munich.
“As soon as I heard that Manchester United wanted me, I was excited about the opportunity to take on a new challenge at such a historic club,” De Ligt said in the Red Devils’ statement. “Erik ten Hag shaped the early stages of my career, so he knows how to get the best out of me and I look forward to working with him again.”
A 45-time international for the Dutch national team, De Ligt joins Manchester United and strengthens the Manchester defense, orphaned by Raphael Varane, who left for Como for free. Manchester United will begin their Premier League campaign on Friday evening (9:00 p.m.) at home against Fulham.
