In a recent interview with talkSPORT, Arsenal star Martin Keown commented on the abilities of Manchester United's new signing, De Ligt. While he believes that de Ligt is an excellent player, he also pointed out his shortcomings in terms of his ability to read the game.
Keown said, "De Ligt has joined Manchester United and it is truly amazing that the young defender's career transfer fee has reached £200 million. He has played for Juventus and Bayern and now comes to United in what is undoubtedly another important chapter in his career."
However, Keown also raised concerns about de Ligt: "Although he is a great player, I don't think he really understands the sport. He doesn't have a clear enough positional sense on the field and his reading of the game leaves something to be desired. This is very important for a defender as he needs to always judge the opponent's movements and intentions in order to make the right defensive decisions."
For Manchester United's upcoming match against Villa in the 7th round of the English Premier League, Keown also gave his advice: "If Manchester United wants to improve its defensive ability in the match against Villa, it can consider letting De Ligt, Lima and Maguire together to form a three-center-back lineup, with Maguire in the middle of the lineup. Such a combination may be able to enhance the team's defensive stability. But the exact arrangement will depend on Coach Ten Hagar's tactical decisions."
At 21:00 GMT on October 6, the 7th round of EPL matches will be played, and Villa will face Manchester United at home. Whether or not Derek De Ligt can show his strength in the game, and whether or not he can improve his game reading ability in the game will be the focus of attention of the fans.
