Vincent Kompany refutes Man Utd's Matthijs de Ligt transfer claims

After completing a move from Bayern Munich to Manchester United this summer, Matthijs de Ligt was reunited with Erik ten Hag, and Vincent Kompany was forced to comment on the decision to sell.

The Dutchman completed an initial €45 million (£38.4 million) move to Old Trafford earlier this summer, followed by former teammate Noussair Mazraoui from Ajax who also signed a permanent deal with the Red Devils. Vincent Kompany has slammed “stupid” claims that he had named Matthijs de Ligt as his “No.1 defender” before eventually selling him to Manchester United.

De Ligt's move ended a protracted transfer chase that saw Erik ten Hag spearheading the push for his services. Although he was happy to see a deal through, his former manager Vincent Kompany was reportedly not so happy.

Rumor had it that the new Bayern manager had told De Ligt that he was his "No. 1 defender" and that the German giants' hierarchy was trying to sell him, but a Bayern spokesman later clarified that Kompany never "said words to that effect."

Further refuting rumors that De Ligt was sold against his will, the former Man City player stated, "It would've been so stupid of me to say something like that. It wouldn't fit with what we've planned for the entire squad.

It makes no sense." Bayern manager Max Eberl also shared his thoughts on the De Ligt sale, saying, "We have to make decisions where we feel we can have the greatest possible success. We made decisions together with Vincent Kompany. Matthijs de Ligt has delivered very consistent performances."

After joining Bayern for a hefty fee from Italian powerhouse Juventus, De Ligt, 25, made 73 appearances over the course of two seasons; however, he only made 16 starts in the Bundesliga last season as Bayern lost the title to Bayer Leverkusen.

Since moving to Old Trafford, De Ligt has been forced to wait for his full United debut, starting on the bench for the Red Devils' opening two games against Fulham and Brighton.