‘Clunky’ Man Utd summer signing blasted by Sutton: ‘He’s been in the gym too much’

If ever a person wanted a show of Manchester United’s poor recruitment, Erik ten Hag’s £90m defensive duo were left on the bench in their draw against Aston Villa at the weekend.

United signed Matthijs De Ligt from Bayern Munich in the summer, while Ten Hag bought Lisandro Martinez in his first summer in charge at Old Trafford, with the duo both having played for Ajax under the Dutchman, but at separate times.

It came as a surprise when neither started the game at Villa Park, with Ten Hag opting to start Harry Maguire and Jonny Evans, though De Ligt did come on to replace Maguire at half-time as he went off injured.

De Ligt dealt fairly well with Villa’s attacking threat which included Ollie Watkins, Morgan Rodgers and later Jhon Duran, though former Premier League striker Chris Sutton blasted United’s new summer signing.

Sutton said: “[He’s] been in the gym too much. I mean, most people need to get in the gym. [But] when he was at Ajax and making his way and he came to the fore, not only was he strong, but he was agile, he was mobile.”

Sutton continued, questioning: “He just looks clunky, doesn’t he?”

As is often the case with Sutton’s takes, there is no factual evidence behind his findings apart from pure speculation from within.

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De Ligt did struggle in games against Tottenham and Porto, though his substitute appearance against Villa was one of his better performances as he and Evans played a part in shutting out Unai Emery’s side.

As well as his rather old school, no nonsense defensive attributes that De Ligt possesses, he is also a threat from set pieces in the opposition box, with the 25-year-old a clear target from corners and free kicks.

So far, De Ligt has scored once for United in their away victory against Southampton. The centre-back is no stranger to facing adversity, understanding the demands of playing for United, having played for huge clubs across Europe such as Juventus and Bayern, so he will be rather familiar with comments from the likes of Sutton.

He and Martinez will both be hoping to earn their place back after the international break when United welcome Brentford to Old Trafford.

De Ligt has never spent more than one season under a manager so far in his career, either due to earning himself a move, or a managerial sacking, and he will be hoping that record comes to an end though it currently seems unlikely as Ten Hag’s future hangs in the balance as United boss .