After a dreadful defensive record this season Manchester United are looking to bolster at the back. The attentions of the club are firmly set on Matthijs De Ligt, but is he the right player?
After a dreadful season where Manchester United conceded 58 goals and had the fifth worst Expected Goals Conceded (xGC), the team needs an overhaul in defence.
Raphael Varane’s exit as a free agent has increased the pressure on Ineos to make at least one new signing in defence.
The team is in dire need of another progressive passing centre back, and Matthijs de Ligt has emerged as the top option.
Matthijs de Ligt Player Profile
Looking at Matthijs de Ligt’s playstyle he brings a lot of positives and possesses the qualities of a modern centre back with an ability to play out from the back and good aerial abilities which are qualities Manchester United missed last season.
Defensive Data Compared
Comparing him to the other right footed centre backs from the Manchester United team last season, De Ligt stands out for passing data.
This will be a huge boost to the team which struggled with ball progression for most of the season and limited the chances of their forwards.
But on other data sets he is not outstanding. His progressive carries, another essential for build up play, is poorer compared to Raphael Varane and Harry Maguire, plus his challenges lost data is not very impressive compared to other Red Devil personnel, and to top players across Europe as he is only in the 80% percentile for output.
Adding to this, the defensive backline could be caught on counters once again and left flat-footed.
Lisandro Martinez lacks pace and so the defender coupled up with him should be able to be more speedy for interceptions.
The issue is that De Ligt is not particularly quick either. This could limit tactical options for Erik ten Hag, especially when it comes to pressing the opposition, as they may be caught out for pace.
But looking at the positives, and although the physical pace of the league may give issues to de Ligt, tactically he may bed in nicely due to previously working with Erik Ten Hag at Ajax.
Adding to this the positive of the Martinez-de Ligt partnership possess complementary skill sets and are also the desired left/ right footed combination of centre backs.
Worrying Injury Data
Matthijs De Ligt brings some serious risk to his transfer due to his history in the treatment room.
This will be of considerable concern for Red Devils fans who had arguably the worst injury record last season.
The type of injuries he has suffered are worrying. The fact he has had recurrent knee ligament injuries puts him at risk, especially with the fact that he will be joining the Premier League.
The question will be whether he will adapt to the rigours of the Premier League which is the most physically demanding league in the world or if this will exacerbate previous issues.
Also the knee ligament injuries mean that he is at a larger risk of re-injury and also connected issues that could see him ruled out.
The fact that Manchester United had so many muscular injuries, and are short of personnel in defensive positions, means that his purchase is risky for a side that needs someone consistent.
The data speaks for itself. Excluding fatigue and Covid, he has missed 47 games for club and country since the 2020/ 2021 season, which means he averages 11.75 games missed a season through injury.
Conclusions
The signing seems to be largely based on the “potential” of this player.
There is a lot of hype around the player despite two struggle-filled stints at two of Europe’s best clubs.
He is not being sold due to being in demand, but rather that he is surplus to needs.
His injury record should be of concern to the team as well when they are already filled with uncertain players in their squad.
Preferably the side should be targeting a player that has a high availability rate, especially so they can adapt to the Premier League.
Finally, his data is good but not outstanding and he has some clear flaws that could limit his usefulness to the club.
There are signs of a brilliant player, but it seems a risk when Manchester United need good performances in the here and now.
