Man Utd defender is 'like a robot' after joining for 'obscene' fee, says Keown

Martin Keown has criticized Manchester United’s decision to spend a hefty sum on Matthijs de Ligt, claiming the Dutch defender plays like a “robot” and is causing problems for the team.

United signed De Ligt from Bayern Munich last summer in a deal that, along with Noussair Mazraoui, could cost up to £60m. Despite arriving in England with high expectations, the 25-year-old has struggled to impress, much like during his time at Bayern following a €77m transfer from Juventus.

De Ligt’s career initially flourished at Ajax, where he played under Erik ten Hag, winning the Eredivisie before moving to Italy. When Ten Hag pushed for his signing at United, the club obliged—but the Dutch coach was sacked just months later.

Since then, De Ligt has continued to feature under Ruben Amorim, but Keown remains unconvinced about his performances.

Speaking on talkSPORT, the Arsenal legend questioned De Ligt’s impact and the fee United paid for him.

“The amount of money they spent on him is almost obscene for a centre-half,” Keown said.“He’s playing like a robot. There are times when he could clear the ball properly, but instead, he puts it out for a corner. He just creates issues for the team.”

Keown added that Amorim must work on boosting De Ligt’s confidence, as he currently looks far from the dominant defender he was once touted to be.

Following United’s 1-0 defeat to Tottenham, De Ligt himself acknowledged the team’s struggles, admitting that confidence has taken a hit and that players are lacking the hunger to win games.

“If you lose, it’s never enough. We can talk about injuries and personal problems, but Tottenham have the same issues,” De Ligt said.“We created some chances, but when you lose 1-0, it means you weren’t good enough at either end.”

“I think urgency, the hunger to score, is something we may be lacking—not just in attack, but also in midfield and defense. It’s a team issue, and we need to improve.”

De Ligt also admitted that United’s squad is struggling mentally, which may be contributing to their poor form.

“Confidence has taken a real hit. In the Premier League, if you lose confidence, you lose the game.”

While United’s growing injury list is a concern, De Ligt refused to use it as an excuse.

“We still had a starting XI with first-team players. It’s not nice when you lose five players in one week, but that’s part of football.”

With United slipping to 15th in the table, both pundits and players are in agreement: something has to change—fast.