Matthijs de Ligt scoops stunning trophy to level with Lionel Messi and Jude Bellingham, while Erik ten Hag takes spending on ex-Ajax stars to £250m

Matthijs De Ligt has become the fifth former Ajax player to reunite with Manchester United manager Erik Ten Hag.

A reunion with his former boss It could be the perfect tonic to return De Ligt to the form that made him a 2018 Golden Boy award winner.

Italian publication Tuttosport established the award in 2003 and is given to Europe's most impressive young player, with English superstars including Jude Bellingham The most recent winner.

The list of past winners reads like a who's who of football: Lionel Messi, Erling Haaland, Kylian Mbappé and Wayne Rooney All of them have been recipients of the award.

However, the list also includes players who unfortunately never lived up to their potential.

One of the winners that comes to mind is Mario Balotelli, who won the award in 2010.

Former Manchester United Midfielder Anderson, winner in 2008, is another.

De Ligt won the award in 2018, but there is one big difference between him and the other 20 winners: he is the only defender on the list.

The Dutch international further cemented his reputation as one of Europe's brightest talents with a starring role in Ajax's famous run to the 2019 Champions League semi-finals under Ten Hag.

Had it not been for the late heroics of then-Tottenham striker Lucas Moura, Ajax would have reached their first Champions League final since 1996.

But it wasn't long before the vultures swooped in to tear the Dutch giants apart.

De Ligt, who was 19 at the time, was sold to Juventus for around £73.3m, while the superstar midfielder Frenkie De Jonganother jewel in Ajax's crown, moved to Barcelona in a £74m deal in the 2019 summer window.

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Although De Ligt enjoyed a reasonably strong first season at Juventus, he missed 28 games in his second due to a combination of injuries and COVID.

De Ligt's spell in Turin lasted three seasons before he moved to Bayern Munich in the summer of 2022 for an initial fee of £57m.

However, his time in Germany followed a similar narrative to his time in Italy: an impressive debut season followed by a second plagued by injuries and absences.

De Ligt ultimately missed 20 games for Bayern last season due to a knock and a torn internal knee ligament.

In De Ligt's absence, Dayot Upamecano and Kim Min Jae have built a formidable partnership at the heart of Bayern's defensive line, while the signing of Eric Dier last January has increased the competition in central defence.

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Without a guaranteed starting role, De Ligt emerged as a transfer target for several clubs, but United ultimately won the £38m battle for his signature.

It is true that De Ligt's value has diminished with every stop he has made since leaving Ajax.

But, at 25 and returning to work under the manager who made him one of Europe's hottest properties in 2019, there is no reason why he cannot find his way.

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The decision to sign De Ligt also underlines Ten Hag's faith in the Dutch international despite not having worked together for five years.

Indeed, Ten Hag evidently trusts many of his former Ajax stars, having brought five of them to Old Trafford from 2022.

Lisandro Martinez, Antony, Andre Onana, Noussair Mazraoui and now De Ligt have all re-joined their former boss, with the five players costing United around £250m.

Ajax themselves joined in on the fun, posting “Manchester is red” and a winking X emoji shortly after United announced the arrivals of Mazraoui and De Ligt.

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Whether Ten Hag's return of two former Ajax players will prove to be a wise decision remains to be seen, but De Ligt won the Golden Boy award for a reason.

De Ligt's performances in the Premier League will be closely scrutinised, such is the microscopic analysis of English football's top flight.

But returning to his former boss could prove the perfect setting to remind his critics why clubs fell at his feet in 2019.