Van der Vaart fears new Man Utd star De Ligt ‘has never been the same’ since Ajax transfer

Former Tottenham midfielder Rafael van der Vaart insists new Man Utd signing Matthijs de Ligt “has never been the same” since leaving Ajax.

The Red Devils centre-back was handed his first start since joining in the summer from Bayern Munich in their 3-0 defeat to Liverpool before the international break.

Prior to the humiliating home defeat to Arne Slot’s men, De Ligt had come off the bench in Premier League matches against Fulham and Brighton.

But his form against Liverpool and two international fixtures for the Netherlands over the last week won’t have helped his chances of getting into Erik ten Hag’s starting XI.

Netherlands boss Ronald Koeman came out in defence of the Man Utd defender last week when De Ligt was at fault for both the goals his country conceded in a 5-2 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina.

And Koeman was forced to take De Ligt off at half-time in their 2-2 draw against Germany on Tuesday night after the Man Utd centre-back made another mistake.

Former Dutch international Van der Vaart thinks De Ligt is a “great defender” but fears that he hasn’t “been the same” since he played under Ten Hag at Ajax.

“I’m a big fan of him and his qualities but I also have to be honest. When he left Ajax, he has never been the same,” Van der Vaart told the Metro.

“I think his career is a little bit stuck. I was there yesterday [for the Netherlands vs Germany game] and he made mistakes again and when you’re not in a good flow, every fault results in a goal. Every mistake leads to a chance.

“I think he was also a bit unlucky so I still believe in his quality so I hope with ten Hag he can get his confidence back because at the end of the day, it is all about confidence. He is still a young guy, playing for a big club.

“He has shown he can recover. His first few games for Ajax and his first game for the national team he made a big mistake but recovered. Normally it is no problem. But now, it is already a long time he is not playing well. But quality-wise he is still a great defender.”

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Harry Maguire has had to take a lot of criticism at Man Utd in recent years but his performances have improved over the last six months.

Van der Vaart reckons De Ligt now starts in front of Maguire despite the former Sheffield United defender playing “some really good games lately”.

The former Netherlands international added: “I think de Ligt plays ahead of him. As a new player you would expect him to start but at the end of the day you have to play well. If he continues like this Harry is going to take his chance again.

“I have to say, Harry also played some really good games lately. I think Matthijs will feel the pressure. I think he [Maguire] still has a big role to play. I was someone who said some bad things about his quality because at the time it was too much money for a normal player.

“He had some really bad games and made some big mistakes but mentally wise he has been really strong. He always came back strong last season, he has a really strong mind and I think he’s happy there. They [the staff] love him there so I think he will get his chances.”