'It's a disgrace!' - Matthijs de Ligt transfer to Man Utd slammed as Bayern Munich are warned of 'going back' to last season after selling their 'best defender'

Netherlands international De Ligt swapped Bayern for United earlier this month, something German legend Lothar Matthaus is clearly unhappy about. The 63-year-old says the Bundesliga giants' backline is suspect with centre-backs Kim Min-jae and Dayot Upamecano and that they haven't properly replaced David Alaba since his 2021 move to Real Madrid. He added it is a "disgrace" Bayern don't have a leader at the heart of their defence.

In a column for Sky Germany, he said: "The defence is and remains Bayern's Achilles' heel. Matthijs de Ligt was sold, even though he was the most stable player over the last two years. He was the head of defence. Now Bayern are again looking for a successor to David Alaba. For me, it is a disgrace that this leader is missing. After all, we are talking about Bayern here. All the centre-backs currently in the Bayern squad have to deal with themselves first. A leader has to be clear about himself, he has to be recognized by the team. Of course, the mistakes made by Min-jae Kim and Dayot Upamecano are also a topic of discussion in the dressing room. The club has big plans and now things are going back to where they left off last season."

Bayern conceded 45 Bundesliga goals last season - the fifth-best in the division. They won their league opener 3-2 away at Wolfsburg and while they have plenty of attacking talent, it's clear Matthaus is concerned about their chances of success this season with their current defence.

While Bayern next face Freiburg in the league on September 1, De Ligt has since made two appearances off the bench for United. He will hope to get a starting role as soon as possible, with the Red Devils hosting bitter rivals Liverpool next on Sunday.