Manchester United are struggling badly in the Premier League this season, having sacked Erik ten Hag early on in the season.
The club sits in the bottom half of the table after another poor run of results.
Most recently, losing 1-0 away at struggling Spurs.
United spent over £600 million on new players during Ten Hag’s era.
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However, the majority of those signings have failed to deliver on the pitch.
One of the players brought in last summer was Matthijs de Ligt.
The Netherlands defender arrived from Bayern Munich in a major squad overhaul.
Now, fresh claims suggest United never truly wanted to sign him.
According to ESPN journalist Mark Ogden, Ten Hag pushed for the deal.
He insists former sporting director Dan Ashworth was responsible for the move.
But Ogden says other figures at United were not convinced by the signing.
“The club didn’t want Mathijs de Ligt!”
ESPN’s @MarkOgden_ says INEOS deserve credit for the departure of sporting director Dan Ashworth 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/c10HLB7cy5
— ESPN UK (@ESPNUK) February 20, 2025
De Ligt was once seen as a generational talent at Ajax under Erik ten Hag, helping his side reach the UEFA Champions League semi-finals.
However, he struggled to impress after leaving for Juventus in 2019.
His time in Italy was disappointing before he moved to Bayern Munich.
Even in Germany, De Ligt failed to fully justify his early hype as he showed to have defensive lapses on occasion.
Despite those concerns, United backed Ten Hag and signed him.
Ashworth felt it was right to give the manager the players he wanted.
But Ogden argues that was a mistake that backfired on United.
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The club then dismissed Ten Hag, leaving Amorim with his signings.
De Ligt has so far struggled to make a real impact at Old Trafford.
United now find themselves with an expensive squad full of underperformers.
The club’s long-term transfer strategy has once again been questioned.
United’s recruitment under Ten Hag led to serious concerns, considering the recent change with INEOS.
The decision to back him so heavily has now left consequences.
Ruben Amorim now has to find solutions with an imbalanced squad.
United’s hierarchy must avoid repeating the same mistakes in the future if they want to become competitive.
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