Bayern Munich decision could offer Erik ten Hag his Manchester United defender solution

Manchester United could have the chance to sign a former Ten Hag star as he is unhappy at one of Europe’s footballing powerhouses.

Erik ten Hag’s former Ajax captain Matthijs de Ligt is reported to be unhappy at Bayern Munich, and with United eyeing up a new centre-back, a reunion between the two Dutchmen doesn’t look implausible.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS see a new centre-back as a priority as the Red Devils back line has been one of their main weaknesses this season. This is mainly due to injuries to Harry Maguire and Lisandro Martínez, so another big name in central defence wouldn’t go amiss.

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De Ligt has fallen out of favour with Bayern boss Thomas Tuchel, struggling to get into the Bundesliga champion’s starting XI when everybody is available, resulting in the 24-year-old becoming frustrated with his playing time.

The lack of regular time on the pitch, coupled with the slightly bizarre signing of Eric Dier from Spurs and the interest that the Bavarian club have decided to target Barcelona’s Ronald Araújo, seem to all point to the exit sign for De Ligt.

If the centre-back were to turn his attention to Old Trafford, it wouldn’t be a surprise if his former manager accepted his signature with open arms. This interest is being reported by Florian Plettenberg for Sky Sports Germany.

De Ligt arguably played his best football under Ten Hag during their time together from 2017 to 2019, which earned the young Dutch defender the prestigious Golden Boy Award in 2018.

Following their joint success, a race ensued in 2019 for the 6′ 2″ defender, which United was part of, where Ajax’s most recent prodigy decided to take his talents to Turin, joining Juventus for £68 million.

Having a CV that solely consists of some of the best teams in Europe, it is obvious that the Dutchman is world-class, and Tuchel seems to be the sole reason why he’s not a regular in Munich as the former Chelsea boss prefers the partnership of Kim Min Jae and Dayot Upamecano.

With Kim Min Jae, a former United target himself, being at the Asian Cup for South Korea, a move away for De Ligt in January is off as he looks to take advantage of his teammate’s absence to try and regain his spot in the starting XI.

It is noted that if a deal is done in the summer, it will be more likely to happen if Erik ten Hag is still at the helm for United.