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Some Manchester United Fans Got 'De Ligt 5' On The Back Of Their Shirts

Some Manchester United Fans Got 'De Ligt 5' On The Back Of Their Shirts

Things look a bit awkward now...

Josh Lawless

Josh Lawless

Some Manchester United fans have been made to look a bit daft after seeing Matthijs de Ligt join Juventus instead of their team.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side were heavily linked with a move for the 19-year-old, as were Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona, but the Bianconeri stole a march on everyone else and snapped him up in a £67.5 million move today.

And it's made things a little awkward for a couple of United supporters who got a bit too excited when the De Ligt links came about.

They went ahead and got his name printed on the back of their jerseys, along with the No.5. I'm sure you'll agree they look a bit stupid now.

After he had his medical yesterday, the Dutchman penned a five-year contract today in what promises to be an incredibly lucrative financial package for De Ligt.

Thanks to master negotiator Mino Raiola, the former Ajax captain will earn a basic salary of £14.5 million in Turin but it could rise to a whopping £21.7 million per season (£416,000-a-week) should performance-related add-ons be met.

Juventus could end up forking out £176.2 million overall in fees and wages but given his age and potential, it could well be a worthwhile investment.

Image: PA
Image: PA

The 2018 Golden Boy will have the chance to learn from the likes of Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini and pick up that Italian style he's always enjoyed.

"I've always been fascinated by the Italian art of defending," De Ligt told Ajax TV, via Football Italia.

"Many of the players I look up to are Italian: Maldini, Baresi, Nesta, Cannavaro, Scirea... I could go on. I fell in love with how Italian clubs defend."

It seems as though the presence of Cristiano Ronaldo was a key factor in the Dutch defender's decision to go to Juventus.

When De Ligt was a kid, his first ever football shirt had Ronaldo on the back and he would regularly imitate the Portuguese star in his back garden.

Image: PA
Image: PA

"During the season, at the club and during competitions, you don't really have the time to review everything as a player," he told Dutch magazine VI last month.

"But sometimes there are times when I realise that it is not normal. Like recently, when I had dinner with some childhood friends.

"We came to the conclusion that I always wanted to be Cristiano Ronaldo when we were playing football in the garden. That was especially in his time when he played at Manchester United.

"My first football shirt also belonged to him from that time. That dinner was just after the meetings with Juventus, in which I had to fight duels with the same Ronaldo."

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Topics: Football News, Matthijs de Ligt, Football, Manchester United, Serie A, Ajax, Netherlands, Juventus, Man United, Italy