Matthijs de Ligt explains the two reasons he signed for Manchester United

New Manchester United signing Matthijs de Ligt has explained what made him choose to sign for the Red Devils.

De Ligt, 25, joined United in a double-move that also saw new signing Noussair Mazraoui, join alongside him from Bayern Munich.

A product of the Ajax youth system, De Ligt would be named Erik ten Hag’s captain in Amsterdam, before going on to have successful spells at both Juventus and Bayern.

Speaking with members of the United media team, De Ligt admitted that a reunion with Ten Hag was one of several reasons that made joining the Red Devils such an appealing prospect.

“This summer when United came for me and, yeah, the trainer [Ten Hag] also wanted me really badly — and the club also — it made it, for me, really easy,” De Ligt explained.

“To get the chance to get to the Premier League first of all, and second of all to, I think, the biggest club in English football history.

“For me, it was a really easy choice to make.”

Elsewhere in the interview, De Ligt also admitted that though United had won trophies under Ten Hag’s stewardship before he reunited with his former manager, the club now needs to aim to compete for the highest honours.

“They won two prizes in two years, obviously really good,” De Ligt admitted. “But I think everybody agrees that United also has to play for the Premier League title, to compete with the other clubs that are fighting for this title.

“I think that’s a really nice challenge and nice project what I really look forward to try to help the team [with] as much as possible.”

De Ligt is currently on international duty with the Dutch national team, where he is joined by fellow summer signing Joshua Zirkzee.

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