Matthijs de Ligt has been mocked by the German media ahead of a crunch Nations League clash (Image: Getty)
Manchester United star Matthijs de Ligt has been mocked by a German publication after insisting he is ‘happy’ to have ditched the Bundesliga. The defender is set for an awkward reunion with some of his former German-based colleagues tomorrow (Tuesday), with the Netherlands welcoming Die Mannschaft in the Nations League.
De Ligt signed for the Red Devils from Bayern Munich during the summer and has already enjoyed his time at Old Trafford. That is despite Erik ten Hag’s side enduring a tough start to the Premier League season.
The 24-year-old struggled to truly stamp his authority with Bayern and is hoping to make a bigger impact in England. He believes that can be easily achieved and points out that there is a wider interest in the Premier League than the Bundesliga.
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"Also because I stay in the picture. The Premier League has more viewers, the Bundesliga lesser.”
Those comments have not gone down well in Germany, though. German publication Bild have hit back at De Ligt for ‘taunting’ the Bundesliga. The newspaper highlights analysis which shows Bayern had a higher average attendance than United did in 2023-24 - 75,000 to 73,500.
Bild accepts that the Premier League is watched by more fans worldwide than the German top-flight. However, it points out the more lucrative television rights deals given to the English top division.
De Ligt’s mistakes in the Netherlands’ 5-2 victory over Bosnia are also written about in the story. The former Ajax star was particularly at fault for Edin Dzeko’s goal, affording the former Manchester City striker too much space to tap home.
Matthijs de Ligt says he is 'happy' with his move to Man Utd (Image: Getty)
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The £38m United star has accepted responsibility for those errors. He said: “I think you know how I feel, we won but then comes the individual part,” he said.
“I should have done better at their second goal, and I know that. I don't really know what happened.. I should have cleared the ball but I kept having doubts during the play. It's just f*****.”
If De Ligt was hoping for less pressure ahead of his next outing for his country, he might have been better advised to make his comments about the Bundesliga after the Netherlands face Germany. Some of his former Bundesliga colleagues will be keen to prove that their division has as much quality as the Premier League boasts.
