When you’re an Ajax star and a regular Dutch international despite having only turned 19 this summer, it’s inevitable that there’s going to be transfer talk with your name all over it. Yet when FourFourTwo asked Matthijs de Ligt about being linked to Spurs, Manchester United and Barcelona, he played it as cool as he does on the pitch.
“It’s nothing special, to be honest. There are so many tabloids writing things. I haven't heard anything, so I focus on Ajax. It's nice to see your name linked with those kinds of clubs, but if I didn't hear anything, it doesn't matter.”
Yet while the slick-passing central defender calmly shrugs off speculation, he’s more revealing on his former team-mate Davinson Sanchez, who De Ligt played alongside in 2016/17 before the Colombian left for Tottenham last summer.
“He's really nice, but when he goes on the pitch he's like an animal,” says De Ligt. “Off the pitch, he's humble and quiet – a little shy. Then he gets on the pitch and it's like, 'Whoa, what is going on here?'”
It remains to be seen whether De Ligt will be joining ‘the animal’ Sanchez in his new north-London zoo (whenever it’s ready). Yet plenty of eyes will be on him as Ajax look to build on their positive start to the Champions League, sitting top of Group E after two games.
Read the full interview with Matthijs deLigtin the November 2018 issue of FourFourTwo, out in shops and on iPad/iPhone now. The enigma of Paul Pogba is our latest cover story, featuring exclusive interviews with those who know him well. Elsewhere, there’s Emile Heskey’s revealing career reflective and another exclusive interview with Brighton hitman Glenn Murray, plus the mad history of set-pieces, cult teams, Aaron Lennon’s superfan and much, much more. Grab yours today!
‘Scoring in a World Cup is like winning the title – can you imagine millions of people celebrating something you did? It’s insane and made me very proud’: Brazil legend explains how much 2002 goal meant to him
'He already had the ability but didn’t use it because he was afraid to shoot – I said, "You’re a player who has to decide games – you have to take risks, mate"': Liverpool star was forced to become confident by team-mates
