'It would be stupid of me!' - Vincent Kompany slams reports he went against Bayern Munich before selling Matthijs de Ligt to Man Utd

United signed De Ligt earlier this month in a double deal that also saw them secure the signature of Noussair Mazraoui. In an article explaining the ins and outs of the deal, The Athletic claimed that Kompany told De Ligt that he did not want to sell him, as he was his "number one defender". Now, though, he has denied ever saying such a thing.

Bayern are somewhat short of centre-back options now that De Ligt is gone, as new signing Hiroki Ito was ruled out with an injury he suffered in pre-season. De Ligt, meanwhile, has already made his debut for United playing in both of their opening league games.

Asked about the report before his team's Bundesliga opener, Kompany said: "I definitely didn't say it. It would be so stupid of me to say something like that. That doesn't fit with what we're planning on doing in the squad."

Bayern play Wolfsburg on Sunday. De Ligt, by comparison, came off the bench as United lost 2-1 to Brighton on Saturday.