Patrick Kluivert believes Mattijs de Ligt regrets his decision to join Juventus ahead of this season.
De Ligt was at the centre of one of the transfer sagas of the summer following a campaign in which he helped Ajax win the Eredivisie title and reach the semi-finals of the Champions League.
Barcelona, Manchester United and Liverpool were among the European giants linked with the central defender, but it was Juventus who ultimately won the race for his signature.
De Ligt has had a mixed start to his career in Italy, though, making several costly errors as he strives to adapt to life in Serie A.
And Kluivert, who made 257 appearances for Barcelona and now works as an academy director at La Masia, has suggested that his fellow Dutchman may have made a mistake in choosing Juve.
“I didn’t personally try to convince him about joining Barcelona,” he told Mundo Deportivo. “I only told him about the positive aspects of Barcelona as a club and city.
“We are obviously talking about a great defender and in the end he made a choice. I think he slightly regrets it now, but that’s the way it is.
“In life you must make choices, sometimes good ones and sometimes bad. You have to learn from your decisions.”
De Ligt's former team-mate Frenkie de Jong did decide to join Barcelona from Ajax in the summer.
And Kluivert has praised the midfielder for hitting the ground running at the Camp Nou.
"First, I can say that he is very happy," the former Ajax striker added. "Then, when you see him play, it seems like he's been in the team for many years.
"I already knew before that he was a very high-quality player and he's demonstrating his quality in both the Dutch and Barca teams.
"But he's happy and it shows in his game. He's acting very well and I'm happy to see him that way."
READ MORE
Andy Mitten column: Can Marcus Rashford go from scorer of great goals to great goalscorer?
Are Italy back? How Roberto Mancini helped the Azzurri recover from their World Cup embarrassment
Le Hand of God, 10 years on: Thierry Henry’s handball that sent France to the 2010 World Cup – remembered by those who were there
Mundo Deportivo
