Paul Scholes brands £43m Matthijs de Ligt a 'SECOND-RATE defender' - and singles out one 'massive concern' he has over Man United's latest signing

Paul Scholes has singled out one 'massive concern' over Manchester United's signing of Matthijs De Ligt and has branded the Bayern Munich man a 'second-rate defender'.

The centre-back arrives on a deal worth £43million which will see the Red Devils pay close to £38m up front and a further £5m in add-ons.

The former Ajax captain previously worked with manager Erik Ten Hag at the Dutch club before his departure for Juventus in 2019, and the boss has been keen to link up with the defender for some time.

De Ligt, 25,  was pictured at Munich Airport on Monday with fellow signing - and ex-Ajax man - Noussair Mazraoui, with Man United swooping for both Bayern stars as part of Ten Hag's defensive overhaul.

But Man United legend Scholes, who won 18 major trophies with the club, has raised significant doubts over the deal on The Overlap Fan Debate, hosted by Sky Bet.

He told the show: 'With Man Utd, we're talking about players who can't get into their team. 

'He's [De Ligt] not playing for them [Bayern], that has to be a big concern, especially when Eric Dier is playing in front of him. That is a massive concern for me.

'Juventus got rid of him, he wasn't good enough there and he obviously hasn't been good enough at Bayern Munich. He's coming to us almost like a second-rate defender.'

The 49-year-old also slammed his former side for seemingly having a policy of signing Ten Hag's former players for vast sums of money.

De Ligt, who is set to join United with former Ajax colleague Mazraoui, joined the Dutch side's youth setup aged ten before surging through the ranks and into the first-team by 2016. 

He guided Ten Hag's team to a famous semi-final run in the Champions League in 2019 before getting a big move to Italian giants Juventus the same summer.

After three years in Italy, De Ligt was transferred to Bayern where he has made just 53 appearances in the last two years.

The centre-back has played 45 times for his national team, scoring twice, but did not feature once during this summer's European Championships.

Scholes's scathing criticism comes after Graeme Souness gave a damning verdict on the incoming defender, offering a brutal assessment of De Ligt's all-around defensive skills.

'I'm doubtful about De Ligt,' Souness shared on talkSPORT. 'He didn't get into the national team during the Euros, he was a squad member.

'He's been at two enormous football clubs, they normally don't like to sell players. That in itself tells a story.'

Referencing his explosive early years with Ajax, culminating in a profile-raising Champions League season in 2018-19, Souness admitted that 'he was a star when he was a boy' but argued: 'Has he progressed since then?'

'I'm not sure he is what Man United need at this time,' the former Liverpool player added.

'Jonny Evans played 23 times for Man United, they desperately need a centre-half.

'I look at De Ligt, he's a lightweight centre-half. What you want from a centre-half first and foremost is to defend.'

Man United are desperate to improve upon their defensive showing for the 2023-24 season, which saw the injury-struck side unable to settle on a consistent centre back pairing.

But Souness was staunch is his belief that the club's prayers were unlikely to be solved by Ten Hag's compatriot.

'It would appear that some coaches and managers think it's all about playing out from the back,' he continued.

'Keep the ball out the back of the net. It's the same with the goalkeeper. Is he any better than the Spanish boy (David de Gea) they allowed to walk out the door?

'He wasn't good with his feet but kept the ball out the back of his net better than (Andre) Onana.'