Bayern Munich sporting director explains why Matthijs de Ligt was sold to Man United

Bayern Munich sold one of their most coveted defenders Matthijs de Ligt to Manchester United in a deal worth £42 million after he fell out of favour at the German club last season. But his transfer was nothing short of controversy as many Bayern fans signed a petition to retain the 24-year-old defender.

De Ligt struggled with injuries last season and his absence was felt as Bayern conceded an average of 1.8 goals per game without the former Ajax defender. He was a pivotal player for manager Erik ten Hag during their time at Ajax and their reunion this summer was expected to bring back a new positive outlook in the leaky defence.

Bayer’s sporting director Max Eberl has given two reasons why the club sanctioned the exit of the Dutchman in the final days of the summer window.

Why did Bayern decide to sell Matthijs de Ligt to Manchester United?

The Bavarians decided to sanction the sale of Dutch defender Matthijs de Ligt as new manager Vincent Kompany has favoured the pairing of Dayot Upamecano and Kim-Min Jae. His exit was not taken lightly by the fans and they even signed a petition to change the club’s minds.

The first reason was that Bayern needed to sell players to raise funds. The second reason is that the Dutchman was too slow and couldn’t operate in a high defensive line.

“I followed it, including the petition. I know that many fans identify with him,” Bayern sporting director, Max Eberl, explained in a press conference.

“Nevertheless, I had to make this decision because we also had to sell players. We felt more comfortable with Upamecano and Kim because they can defend higher up the pitch. And then an offer came in for de Ligt.”

Matthijs de Ligt scored his first goal for Manchester United with a header in the 3-0 win over Southampton last weekend.

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