Matthijs de Ligt arrived at Manchester United in the summer of 2024 in a double swoop that included fellow Bayern Munich defender Noussair Mazraoui.

The centre-back brought a wealth of experience to M16 from his time with Ajax – where he was the club’s youngest-ever captain – Juventus, Bayern and the Netherlands national team.

A natural fit as the central player in Ruben Amorim’s back three, De Ligt made 42 appearances in his debut campaign.

Matthijs scored twice during 2024/25, against Southampton and Ipswich, but missed the Europa League final defeat to Tottenham Hotspur due to injury.

He started the next campaign well, as United’s first-choice central defender, but was missing through injury from November onwards, undergoing back surgery in May which led him to miss the World Cup.