Theo Walcott admits he wanted his former club Arsenal to sign Manchester United summer arrival Matthijs de Ligt.
De Ligt – and fellow Bayern Munich star Noussair Mazraoui – arrived in Manchester on Monday to undergo medicals at Old Trafford.
Erik ten Hag was keen to bring De Ligt to Manchester United having worked with the Netherlands centre-back at Ajax.
After putting pen to paper on their deals at the Theatre of Dreams, both De Ligt and Mazraoui are expected to be in line to feature in Friday’s Premier League opener against Fulham.
Several pundits have questioned Manchester United’s move for De Ligt but Walcott insists the 25-year-old is an upgrade on current options.
The ex-Arsenal and England winger also revealed De Ligt is a player he has previously wanted to see arrive through the doors at the Emirates Stadium.
‘It will be interesting to see how quickly they [De Ligt and Mazraoui] can adapt,’ Walcott said on BBC Radio 5 Live. ‘These guys are going to have to literally start straightaway.
‘It’s not easy to get up to speed in the Premier League, we’ve seen United players struggle with that in the past.
‘They’re good players, we’re talking about good players, but some players seem to find it daunting at United.
‘When it was talked about De Ligt coming to the Premier League, he is the sort of player I thought, “oh Arsenal could do with someone like him”, especially when they were going through the transition of centre-halves not being as strong.
‘So yeah, I’m looking forward to seeing what he is going to provide at United. He’s better than what they’ve currently got.’
De Ligt and Mazraoui will become Manchester United’s third and fourth summer signings following French defender Leny Yoro and Dutch forward Joshua Zirkzee.
Matthijs de Ligt ‘not the answer’ for Man Utd
Old Trafford legend Rio Ferdinand is among those to question United’s move for De Ligt and suggested the Dutchman was ‘not the answer’.
‘Mazraoui will play right-back because Wan-Bissaka will be sold. I think that’s a good deal all round. I still think [Diogo] Dalot plays ahead of him,’ Ferdinand said on his YouTube channel.
‘But with De Ligt… I watched him at Ajax; he was brilliant that year when they got to the semi-final with ten Hag before being beaten by Spurs. He was commanding, everything you wanted in a defender, composed.
‘Then he goes to Juventus, you look at that and think, great move. A defender going to learn from the likes of [Leonardo] Bonucci and [Giorgio] Chiellini and all them guys.
‘But it just fills me with disappointment with the way his career has gone since then. I think he had 16 starts last season. Lot of injuries, doesn’t start many games in the las two or three years, and Manchester United are spending 45-50 million pounds on him.
‘That’s another two teams who he was a sub for, a backup defender. I think it’s a big ask for him. Big pressure. Big opportunity, but there is a lot of uncertainty over him after his time with Juventus and Bayern Munich.
‘I don’t think he’s the answer. But it’s a great opportunity for him to go in there and be like, “you know what guys, I’m going to rectify my last few seasons and show you the real me”.
‘Ten Hag knows him, the character, the person, and I hope he does a good job but I am going to reserve judgement on this one.
‘If Yoro and Martinez are both fit they both start. No one else gets a look in. But Yoro is now out for three months. Is De Ligt fit right now to play?
‘Eric Dier was starting in front of him and he was surplus to requirements at Spurs. That tells you a lot. This isn’t a signing that makes me go “wow”. Hopefully Ten Hag gets the best out of him.’
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