Matthijs de Ligt revealed that he did not join Manchester United because of Erik ten Hag and expressed sympathy for his former Ajax manager, who he believes was unfortunate to be sacked.
Ten Hag’s tenure at United came to an end after a narrow 2-1 defeat to West Ham United, a match marred by controversy.
The decisive moment of the game occurred when a penalty was awarded to the Hammers after a clash between De Ligt and forward Danny Ings.
Initially, referee David Coote did not award the penalty, but following a VAR review by Michael Oliver, the spot-kick was given.
Ings converted from 12 yards, sealing three points for West Ham and delivering a final blow to Ten Hag’s troubled spell at Old Trafford.
Howard Webb, the chief refereeing officer for PGMOL (Professional Game Match Officials Limited), later acknowledged that the penalty decision was incorrect, stating that the contact between De Ligt and Ings was insufficient to justify the call.
De Ligt, visibly frustrated, defended his actions on the pitch, insisting he had done nothing wrong in the critical moment.
Speaking to the Dutch publication De Telegraaf, Matthijs de Ligt conveyed his disappointment and frustration.
He said: “Normally I am always self-critical and I can get annoyed about things that I do not do well.
“But here I could not do anything about it, I could not blame myself for it.
“The referee committee also called us to say that it was not a penalty.”
On Ten Hag’s departure, De Ligt added: “He brought me to Manchester, the goal was to achieve success together with Erik.
“He has not been very lucky.
“We played well in many matches, but we did not use the chances we got.
“It is a shame that it has to end like this.
“A dismissal can always be quite hard.
“We discussed some things.”
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