Bayern Munich legend blasts club for selling their ‘best defender’ to Man Utd amid ‘defensive problems’

Bayern Munich legend Lothar Matthaus thinks that the club made a mistake in selling Matthijs de Ligt to Manchester United this summer.

The Red Devils managed to sign the Dutch defender in a deal worth over £42m including add-ons. While the 25-year-old hasn’t had the easiest of starts in England, Matthaus thinks that Bayern should have kept him around.

According to the former Germany star, De Ligt was the ‘best defender’ at the club and he has raised some concern over Bayern’s ‘defensive problems’.

“The defence is and remains FC Bayern’s Achilles heel,” Matthaus told Sky.

“Matthijs de Ligt was sold, even though he was the most stable defender over the past two years. He was the leader of the backline. Now Bayern are again looking for a successor to David Alaba. For me, it’s pathetic that this leader is missing.

“If de Ligt had not been sold, I would not have worries at FC Bayern now. But my opinion about him is probably different to the people in charge.

“It’s a decision that has to be accepted. But many – including within the team – are just shaking their heads. Because the players also know that their defence is shaky. And then the best defender for many is sold.”

Despite Bayern’s defensive problems, Matthaus doesn’t think that the club should be looking to sign another player in De Ligt’s position as they would then be overloaded in the position.

“Despite the defensive problems, I would not sign Jonathan Tah or any other new centre back,” Matthaus added.

“With Kim, Upamecano, Eric Dier, Hiroki Ito and Josip Stanisic, FC Bayern has five players who can play this position. If they bring in another one now, they would have one too many.”

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Rafael Van der Vaart has a different opinion of De Ligt

While Matthaus thinks that Bayern Munich should have kept the Dutch defender in Germany, Van der Vaart doesn’t seem to share the same opinion.

The former Tottenham midfielder has described the Man Utd star as ‘wild’ as he thinks the defender has regressed since his Ajax days.

De Ligt made a high-profile error while on international duty with the Netherlands and Van der Vaart doesn’t seem to be convinced by the 25-year-old these days.

When asked if De Ligt is the answer to Man Utd’s defensive problems, Van der Vaart replied: “A few years ago I would say 100 percent but when he left Ajax, I have to say, I’m a little bit disappointed in his development.

“So I think he is quality. He’s fantastic. He’s a great guy. Works hard for your team, the best, top player but he makes too many mistakes. You also need a little bit of luck, and he is in the phase now that he’s really unlucky. And then he’s a little bit wild.

“He was a little bit too wild [at Ajax]. So that means, going into tackles. And you think, ‘Hey, stay relaxed. Just look how the situation ends’.

“And he went to Italy. Then I found out there he’s going to learn how to defend. But I’m not happy with what I see.”

Bayern Munich could lose more stars in 2025

It’s been well-documented that a number of European powerhouses are keeping tabs on Jamal Musiala who is out of contract with Bayern in 2026.

Liverpool and Manchester City are among the clubs interested in signing the 21-year-old, with Bayern currently trying to tie him down to a new contract.

Another high-profile Bayern star who has been linked with an exit of late has been Leroy Sane who is now attracting interest from Arsenal.

Unlike Musiala, Sane is now in the final year of his contract with Bayern which could mean that he leaves on a free transfer at the end of the season.

Bayern do want Sane to extend his stay in Bavaria, although they would like him to sign a new contract on a reduced salary.

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De Ligt’s career up until this point

The Dutch centre-half was one of the most sought-after players in Europe after he made his breakthrough at Ajax. He went on to captain the side at just 19 years old and looked like a world-class centre-half in the making.

Juventus eventually managed to prize him out of the Eredivisie and he went on to spend three years in Italy where he won three trophies.

While the move to Turin was by no means disastrous, he didn’t quite manage to live up to the original hype and it wasn’t long before he headed for the exit and joined Bayern Munich.

Likewise, his time in Germany was fairly up and down. In total, he made 73 appearances across two seasons for the club and Bayern made a loss of around £23m when selling him to Man Utd this summer.

Having previously worked with Erik ten Hag, the Dutch defender will be hoping to get his career back on track this season, but his start in England has been a somewhat shaky one.