United Gives De Ligt Final Opportunity to Prove Worth

 

Some football fans look forward to the off-season because it only means one thing: moves! It's getting close to the end of the window, but the biggest names are still being tied with the biggest clubs as rumors run wild.

It is a known fact that some transfers are good for everyone involved. However, there are also many transfers where at least one club or player wonders what could have been if they had made a different choice during negotiations.

So, SPORTY360 ensures you know who made the most money in every big deal before the contracts are even signed. We're giving each completed deal a grade as it happens during the summer transfer window. This way, you can keep track of the big winners and losers of the season.

Here are our most recent grades. Please let us know what you think in the comments...

August 12: Matthijs de Ligt moves from Bayern Munich to Manchester United for £43 million.

 It looked like Bayern did a great job signing De Ligt from Juventus for much less than the Italians had paid him in 2022.

 But after looking like he might be a mainstay in the Bavarians' defense for years to come, the Dutchman turned out to be different from the great center-back we saw at Ajax.

 He was a regular until the end of Thomas Tuchel's time as manager, but the fact that Bayern wanted to sell him says a lot. 

It also says he played no minutes for the Netherlands at Euro 2024. Bayern will be glad to get back a big chunk of the money they spent on a player they no longer wanted. Grade: B+

It was a risk that Manchester United was willing to take. There are worries that De Ligt was praised too much in Amsterdam; he has yet to show that he can consistently perform at the top level.

 But the price isn't crazy, and there's still a great center back in there, so Erik ten Hag, who used to manage Ajax, is the perfect person to bring it back out. Let's be honest: De Ligt is much better at football than many of United's center-backs from last year!

For De Ligt, this could be his last chance to show what he can do at a club this size. Even though De Ligt is only 24, if he fails at United, as he did at Juventus and Bayern, it's unlikely that another big team in Europe will pay a lot of money to sign him. 

He can be a world-class center-back because he is quick and big on his feet. However, there are still concerns about his speed and tendency to make mistakes and lose focus, which cost him a lot of money.

 It's up to De Ligt to show he can handle the pressure of coming through in every game for a top team. Ten Hag should give him a lot of chances to do that at Old Trafford. Grade: B+