Matthijs de Ligt has played for the biggest clubs in Holland, Italy and Germany – but the Dutchman reckons Manchester United are on a different planet.
De Ligt, who joined United from Bayern in a £42million deal in the summer, has been involved in transfers totalling £170million – at the age of just 25.
He is a player used to handling huge expectations and feels that experience has helped him to settle quickly at Old Trafford. But De Ligt insists that the sheer size of United really does put them in a league of their own.
De Ligt said: “It’s a really big club, an amazing club – and it’s a lot of pressure, I have to say.
“I’ve played for several big clubs and the pressure is always high. But the feeling you get here is that the pressure is maybe worldwide – and it’s the most I’ve experienced so far.
“It’s not easy to handle that – particularly for young players. But I’ve had some experience of other big clubs so maybe in that sense it could be a little bit easier for me.
“I imagine that for other players it might be a little more difficult. That’s why it’s so important we get the crowd behind us – just to get the confidence in to all the players.”
De Ligt came through the youth ranks at Ajax to become the club’s youngest-ever senior captain at just 19.
He joined Juventus for £63million in 2019 before Bayern signed him for £65million three years later.
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