Teddy Sheringham had questioned if Matthijs de Ligt is any better than Harry Maguire.
Maguire has come in for criticism in the last two years at Old Trafford but he has still often been the most reliable defender at Old Trafford under Erik ten Hag.
De Ligt failed to hold down a first-choice spot at Bayern Munich at times in Germany, leading to speculation he has not fulfilled his potential after emerging at Ajax.
Speaking to Prime Casino, Sheringham expressed concerns that the Dutchman will not be a serious upgrade on the England defender.
He said: “It’s hard to say who will have the biggest impact in terms of the new signings. To be honest, it’s not the type of business that excites me - I think United need a lot more quality brought into the club. I think we’re still a long way away from competing with the biggest teams.
“Matthijs de Ligt is the one player with a bit of experience and, you could say that he has pedigree given the club’s that he’s played for in the past. It was a signing I was initially excited by, but the more I’ve been thinking about it, doubts have crept in. Is he an improvement on what we have at the club?
“Is he going to be better than Harry Maguire? Manchester United need to bring in players that raise the level - we won’t know if Matthijs de Ligt is one of those until we see what he can do. I like Harry Maguire.
“He’s taken a lot of flak over the years, but he’s not the problem at the club, they run a lot deeper than that. Harry Maguire knows what it takes to play for Manchester United. I wonder if we needed to sign Matthijs de Ligt when Maguire is already in the building.”
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