Manchester United completed a big double move for two former Ajax players just over a week ago. Bayern Munich agreed to transfer Matthijs De Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui for a deal that is likely to land around 50-60 million for the Bavarian giants, depending on add-ons.
This is a deal that is likely to factor into United’s change of style and pace in build-up, and of course, will impact the defensive structure as well. Both players made their debut in the 1-0 win over Fulham on Friday, with Mazraoui starting at right back.
To gain some perspective on the signings, we thought it might be a good idea to have a chat with someone who followed them at their last stop and ask some questions about why the move happened and what factored into the decision to move on from two players in likely their best years as players.
Bavarian Football Works writer Rayyan was kind enough to offer some insight, so a big thank you to him and everyone else at BFW. They do great work covering Bayern, so be sure to check them out
Q: How do you view this deal from a Bayern perspective? And how has the move been received by others at BFW and other Bayern supporter spaces?
A: The deal is of course being viewed in two different lights since there are two departures here. The departure of Noussair Mazraoui is one that is less controversial as the Moroccan undoubtedly has quality but just doesn’t seem to get game-time, but the departure of Matthijs de Ligt is a sore one.
There is no one in the fanbase or at BFW that has not shown their disappointment, and none more so than I because de Ligt has been perhaps my favourite player in world football. His transfer to Bayern Munich was a dream come true for me and to see it end so quickly and in such fashion that it truly seemed like he didn’t even want to go but saw that his career would be in jeopardy if he were to stay crushed me. Safe to say I’ve ordered a Manchester United kit with his name on the back (and it will be the only United kit I ever wear).
Q: What did Matthijs De Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui do well in their time at Bayern?
A: Neither ever really put a foot wrong. They were both consistent performers who did everything asked of them, but when Thomas Tuchel came in and favoured different profiles in defense, they saw their game-time drastically decrease. Mazraoui in particular saw practically no game time at all despite his quality, and de Ligt only really got minutes because of fitness issues with Min-jae Kim and Dayot Upamecano.
Under Nagelsmann, De Ligt was for a time, in my opinion, the best player in the world bar none, as he possessed the ability to decide games on both ends of the field which is simply unheard of for a centre-back – this is around the same time where Marcus Rashford was in his best form under Erik ten Hag, you can read more about it in this piece: https://www.bavarianfootballworks.com/2023/3/12/23633566/bayern-munich-europes-finest-power-rankings-best-players-messi-mbappe-neymar-ronaldo-haaland-musiala
(There is a bit of Rashford propaganda there if you so wish to include it 😀 ).
Q: Where did they fall short? What are the main weaknesses in their game?
A: Mazraoui has great technical and mental qualities but he doesn’t have the physical requirements that are often present in the top full-backs in the world, especially in the Premier League. While Mazraoui isn’t slow or weak as such, he is quite notably not excellent in either category and while that isn’t too much of a problem in systems like the one employed by Nagelsmann, it could prove to be a weakness when put into a system like Ten Hag’s, or even Guardiola’s or Arteta’s. Mazraoui’s physical deficits make him not the best defender in 1v1 situations, but he is still positionally strong and when on the ball his feet are lightning quick so while he doesn’t beat his man with pace, he still possesses the ability to make the right decision on the ball all the time.
De Ligt is a different story, as he doesn’t have outright weaknesses in his game other than maybe a lack of agility in 1v1 situations, something he makes up for with great positioning and body orientation. However, he is not the most adventurous passer, something that was in my opinion the primary reason why Tuchel decided not to play him as players like Dier, Upamecano and even someone like Lisandro Martinez tend to take more ambitious decisions on the ball. While it’s not a deficit more than it is a style of play, it’s still important to note that Manchester United still have a gap to fill in their defensive midfield, a position that will require a good ball progressor as De Ligt is not the kind of player to take it straight into the final third.
This is not to say he cannot, but he tends to be more risk-averse than most centre-backs at this level of the game.
Q: What (if any) were the outside factors for their failure to cement themselves in the team? And what was their fault?
A: As mentioned previously, De Ligt doesn’t make the kind of decisions that Tuchel demanded of his centre-backs to take on the ball, and this was the primary reason why he didn’t enjoy a lot of minutes last season, contrary to how it was under Nagelsmann where De Ligt enjoyed a lot of game-time as the centre-piece of Bayern’s defense.
Mazraoui got game-time here and there too, but he lost a lot of time even under Nagelsmann due to his repeated injury issues and a bout with heart complications post-COVID due to mismanagement by the Moroccan medical team at the 2022 Qatar World Cup (this was part of the reason Bayern went out and got Joao Cancelo on loan that January, as in the months leading up the World Cup, Mazraoui had stayed fit and had become a crucial part of the team’s structure).
If one puts on their tinfoil hat, one can also point to the controversy surrounding Mazraoui’s public comments on the issue occurring in the Middle East between Israel and Palestine, where his comments in support of a ceasefire didn’t gel with a large portion of the public and resulted in an upheaval in parts of the media and eventually a statement from Bayern too, but I don’t think this was part of the reason he was let go at all, it’s just worth mentioning that perhaps the relationship between him and the club was not very smooth.
Q: What qualities do the players bring to United’s defense that the team was previously lacking?
A: De Ligt brings to the team a proven track record of defensive performance, something that simply has not come from the United centre-backs, with Raphael Varane declining physically and Harry Maguire being wildly inconsistent. He is also very importantly a great build-up piece, as while he is not ambitious on the ball in most situations, he is still a great asset and ball-player, having been bred in the Ajax system in his younger years. His seemingly safe play belies his quality on the ball as he is very capable of making smart decisions, and is a surprisingly good player in the final third, having scored several long-range goals for Bayern.
Mazraoui brings something the full-backs have lacked at United, which is being a proper build-up piece that can move play towards the centre and function well in tight spaces. While Luke Shaw and Diogo Dalot are no doubt creative, they are both players that prefer to stay wide and not interact with the primary structure of the team and remain as wide outlets. Mazraoui on the other hand is comfortable both wide and inverted, perhaps his best position being as centrally as possible with his great dribbling and passing range lending itself to an inverted role which is where he was most successful at Bayern, forming a faux double pivot with Joshua Kimmich in late 2022.
Q: Rank from 1-3 who this move is best for: Manchester United, Bayern Munich, or the players.
A: Manchester United, the players, Bayern Munich. This is a fantastic deal for United, who are getting two players proven at a top level, entering the best years of their careers having already played and developed under Ten Hag, and United are getting them for dirt cheap. The players will benefit from more minutes and playing under a familiar system too.
The big losers here are easily Bayern, who are losing two elite players for very little. In total, Bayern have ‘broken even’ on this pair and that’s only because Mazraoui was signed on a free.
Q: Overall, do you think this is a good or bad deal for Manchester United, and why or why not?
A: I think it’s a great deal for United.
Thanks for your time and patience, Rayyan
Thanks again to Rayyan for his time and insight, be sure to follow him on Twitter (@BFWCyler) and follow Bavarian Football Works (@BavarianFBWorks).
