The 42

MANCHESTER UNITED have signed Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui from Bayern Munich, the Premier League club announced on Tuesday.

Fees for the pair were not disclosed by the English giants, but British media reports estimated the duo had arrived at Old Trafford for a combined £60 million (€70 million).

Netherlands defender De Ligt, 25, will now join up again with United manager Erik ten Hag, having played under him at Dutch side Ajax, after agreeing a five-year contract with the option of another year.

“As soon as I heard that Manchester United wanted me, I felt an excitement about the opportunity of a new challenge at such a historic club,” said De Ligt.

“In the conversations that followed, I was impressed by the vision that the football leadership set out and the role they saw for me in it.

“Erik ten Hag shaped the early stages of my career so he knows how to get the best out of me and I cannot wait to work with him again.”

De Ligt has already won league titles in three different countries with Ajax (Netherlands), Juventus (Italy) and Bayern (Germany).

He added: “I know what it takes to succeed at the highest level, and I’m determined to continue that record at this special club.”

De Ligt bolsters United’s central defence following the departure of Raphael Varane, with fellow summer transfer window arrival Leny Yoro in danger of being sidelined for up to three months with a foot injury sustained against Arsenal in pre-season.

Mazraoui, 26, also played under Ten Hag at Ajax, winning three league titles with the Dutch club and another with Bayern.

The full-back has also made 28 appearances for Morocco and reached the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup.

He has signed a four-year deal with the option of a further year and his arrival comes on the day that full-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s departure to Premier League rivals West Ham was confirmed.

“It’s an incredible feeling to be a Manchester United player, and I cannot wait to walk out at Old Trafford wearing the red shirt,” said Mazraoui.

“I know that I’m joining the club at an exciting time; everyone I’ve spoken to has the same ambition for us to win trophies together and I can feel the determination to achieve that.”

The new arrivals are set to be available for United’s season opener against Fulham at Old Trafford on Friday, with the Red Devils desperate to improve on last season’s eighth-place finish.

That left United a huge 31 points adrift of champions Manchester City.

They did beat their local rivals in the FA Cup final before returning to Wembley last weekend to lose to Pep Guardiola’s side on penalties in the Community Shield.

Meanwhile, United defender Luke Shaw has suffered a fresh injury setback and will miss the opening three games of the season, the Premier League giants announced Tuesday.

The England full-back has sustained a calf injury which United say will keep him out until next month’s international break.

Shaw will now miss United’s Premier League fixtures at home to Fulham and Liverpool, as well as their trip to Brighton.

The 29-year-old could now be a doubt as well for England’s Nations League matches against the Republic of Ireland and Finland next month, the team’s first fixtures under new interim boss Lee Carsley.

“Luke Shaw will miss the opening games of the Premier League season due to a calf injury sustained at the start of pre-season training,” said a United statement.

“He is working hard on his rehabilitation with a view to being available after the first international break.”

Shaw was selected in England’s Euro 2024 squad despite travelling to Germany with a hamstring injury and was unable to play until the quarter-final against Switzerland.

He only made his first start of the tournament in the final, with England losing 2-1 to Spain in Berlin as their wait for a first major men’s football title since winning the 1966 World Cup on home soil was extended to 58 years.

– © AFP 2024

Written by AFP and originally published on The 42 whose award-winning team produces original content that you won’t find anywhere else: on GAA, League of Ireland, women’s sport and boxing, as well as our game-changing rugby coverage, all with an Irish eye. Subscribe here.