Manchester United signed Matthijs de Ligt in the summer and he has been a regular in the defence for both Erik ten Hag and Ruben Amorim ever since
Comments
Sport
Italy and Newcastle United midfielder Sandro Tonali
Italy and Newcastle United midfielder Sandro Tonali(Image: Icon Sport via Getty Images)
Manchester United defender Matthijs de Ligt tried to convince Sandro Tonali to join him at Juventus after a chance meeting in a restaurant in Italy.
Newcastle United bought Tonali for £55m from AC Milan in 2023 as they looked to bolster their midfield. The 24-year-old had become a regular for the San Siro club since joining from Brescia and the deal was seen as a coup at the time.
Article continues below
Tonali's career at St James' Park was put on hold in October 2023 for ten months after he was banned for placing bets on football games while in Italy. Upon his return this season, the midfielder has become integral for the Magpies and helped them lift the Carabao Cup before the international break.
However, his career could have been completely different if he had listened to De Ligt when meeting him during his negotiations with AC Milan. Explaining the surprise meeting, Tonali told Cronache di Spogliatoio: "We were in Sardinia, me, Cistana and Torregrossa, the Brescia group in short.
"At a restaurant we met De Ligt. It was the year we had played against each other in Serie A, the year of Covid.
"He spoke highly of Juventus, as a player he advised me to think about it. Those were the days I was negotiating with Milan.
"We had stopped to talk after a match. It happens that for a handful of seconds you find yourself chatting with an opponent even if you don’t know him, more out of respect.
"Some of them you then memorise and when you see them, you think: ‘I’ve already seen this’. It was the summer when I ended up in the newspapers, because it was difficult for me to return to Serie B with Brescia.
Matthijs de Ligt pictured arriving for Manchester United training at Carrington
Matthijs de Ligt pictured arriving for Manchester United training at Carrington
"Milan, Inter and Juve were up for grabs all summer. And so, everyone told me: ‘Come to Inter, come to Milan, come to Juve.'"
Now heading into the 2025 summer transfer window, Tonali remains linked with moves away from Newcastle thanks to his impressive performances for the club. While United have not been officially linked with the Italian, they will be looking to bolster their midfield with Christian Eriksen set to be released.