Netherlands legend Marco van Basten slams Juventus star
Juventus defender Matthijs de Ligt was heavily criticised by former Netherlands legend Marco van Basten after his display against Austria at Euro 2020.
De Ligt returned to the starting XI after recovering from an injury that kept him out for the opener against Ukraine. Although the Oranje won the game and kept a clean sheet, Van Basten didn't hold back his criticism against the Juventus man.
The former striker believes that De Ligt leaves 'too much space' behind him, and claimed he didn't learn too much during his time at Juventus.
Speaking after the Netherands' 2-0 win over Austria in Group C at the Johan Cruijff ArenA, Van Basten expressed,
"[Matthijs] De Ligt is a central defender, and he has to lead more. He has to make himself heard, he has to assert himself. Because he has to lead the defence."
"He just goes after his man and leaves a hole open. De Ligt went to Italy to learn how to defend, but I don't think he has learned much there. And I say that because of moments like this."
The three-time Ballon d'Or winner added on the Juventus defender,
"If you look at how often [Maarten] Stekelenburg has to play the long ball and therefore can't build [up the play], that's not a positive thing."
"It's fifty-fifty for each team, and it becomes a kind of scrappy game. I think if you are the dominant player, you need to have more vision and control from the back to be able to play forward. Then you can dominate the game, but I haven't seen it yet."
De Ligt moved to Juventus for a massive €85.5m fee on the back of a brilliant 2018/19 campaign, and has played 75 games for the Bianconeri so far.
Also read: Fabrizio Romano's Transfer Roundup: Barcelona acting decisively in the transfer market, Manchester United working on Sancho and more
Juventus keen to bolster midfield ahead of next season
While De Ligt is understandably an untouchable player in terms of their transfer plans, Juventus could certainly look to bolster their midfield options. Widespread reports suggest former AC Milan man Manuel Locatelli is their first-choice target in midfield.
The Italian midfielder has been one of the stars of the ongoing UEFA Euro 2020 so far and scored a brace in their 3-0 win over Switzerland. Locatelli is in very high demand this summer and could be on the move, with Juventus in front of the queue for his signing.
The Bianconeri could potentially include promising 19-year-old defender Radu Dragusi as part of a deal for Locatelli to meet Sassuolo's demands. Juventus have also been linked with the likes of Corentin Tolisso of Bayern Munich and Paul Pogba of Manchester United.
Also Read: Jim Beglin's column - 5 Players who could impress in unfamiliar positions