Ajax coach Ronald De Boer has advised teenage sensation Matthijs de Ligt to consider a move to the Premier League, identifying Liverpool as the ideal destination for him.
The 19-year-old has caught the eye of some of Europe’s biggest clubs this season after guiding Ajax to the top of the Eredivisie and into the semi-finals of the Champions League for the first time in two decades.
De Ligt now faces a stern double-header against Tottenham Hotspur for a place in the showcase final in Madrid, where Liverpool could be their opponents if the Reds overcome Barcelona , but he is not expected to remain in Amsterdam for the long term.
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Having already seen teammate Frenkie De Jong seal a move to Barcelona, who he will join at the end of the season, De Ligt could make a similar move and De Boer, assistant coach for Ajax’s U19 side, believes the Premier League is the ideal destination.
"For me, a 19-year-old, captain of Ajax, he is the guy who is also next to Van Dijk with the national team, I mean he is so strong. So determined to be a winner. Unbelievable,” he told TalkSport.
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"You see him in front of the cameras and his interviews, for me, a 19-year-old boy, I have never seen this before.
"He can play in every team. If he goes to an attacking team or a defending team he can play in every team because he is so good.
"He can easily come to the Premier League and play for every team in the world. Frenkie De Jong went for 75m and that can go up to 85m euros with Barcelona but in my opinion Matthijs De Ligt is further in his qualities and more ready to make that step than Frenkie De Jong.
"For De Ligt it is up to him. He has to look at a team for him and find out what he wants. Does he want a team that has fun and most of the time on the ball, that's nice, or he goes to a team that gives it away.
"For me, Barcelona, Man City, Liverpool . Liverpool wants the ball, Paris Saint-Germain. Those are teams I would give him advice to go there. All the other teams, including Tottenham, are great teams to play for."
