Julian Nagelsmann tells Man United secret Matthijs de Ligt trait that one coach will love

Former Bayern Munich manager Julian Nagelsmann has told Manchester United one secret trait that Matthijs de Ligt has that the coaches at Old Trafford will love.

Matthijs de Ligt, 25, completed his move to Manchester United on Tuesday evening alongside Bayern Munich teammate Noussair Mazraoui.

The Bundesliga giants and United agreed on a deal worth an initial £38.6 million, with an additional £4.2 million in easily achievable add-ons.

The Dutch centre-back will bring vital quality and depth to Erik ten Hag’s defence following Raphaël Varane’s departure from Old Trafford.

He was signed by Julian Nagelsmann at Bayern in the summer of 2022 after spending three years at Juventus. The young manager made De Ligt an important part of his team.

The defender played 31 games under Nagelsmann until his bizarre sacking in March of his first season at the club.

Speaking about the defender, the German boss has explained how ‘important’ his threat is in the opposition’s box.

“I’m so happy we signed De Ligt. He’s one of the most talented centre-backs in the world and still young,” Nagelsmann told reporters after the Dutch defender signed for the German giants.

“It’s a good sign for us and the Bundesliga that he chose us. He’s also a goal threat from set pieces, which is important. I hope he’ll score 7-8 goals.”

Of course, United have not been well-renowned for scoring goals from set-pieces in recent years, and there will be hope that De Ligt can help in this aspect.

The 25-year-old has 38 goal contributions during his career so far and this will also be something that catches the eye of Andreas Georgson.

Georgson joined the Old Trafford club this summer as part of Ten Hag’s new-look coaching staff. He will focus on set-pieces and individual development.

Having De Ligt’s aerially presence, especially since Harry Maguire is expected to play less, will be a great aspect to work with for the set-piece expert.

Make sure to follow UtdDistrict on X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok to never miss out on any of our Manchester United content. Our podcast, What the Devil?, is released every Thursday at 6 pm (BST) on the United View YouTube channel.