Vincent Kompany responds to 'stupid' Matthijs de Ligt theory after Manchester United transfer

Vincent Kompany reportedly did not want to sell Matthijs de Ligt amid claims he told the player he was his number one defender heading into the new season.

De Ligt was one of four major signings for Manchester United this summer, alongside Joshua Zirkzee, Leny Yoro and Noussair Mazraoui. According to a report from the Athletic, the player was told by Kompany that he was not responsible for his sale and that he was his number one centre-back.

It's said that De Ligt's camp felt that a choice had been made at board level. However, a spokesperson for Bayern has denied that Kompany ever said 'words to that effect.'

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The report also claims that De Ligt's camp felt Bayern were 'playing a game' during talks over his future. When asked about those claims, Kompany said: "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."

Meanwhile, Bayern director of sport Max Eberl added: "We don't make decisions based on fan favourites; we have to decide where we feel we have the best chance of success. We are the last ones who want to talk bad about Matthijs.

"He played very solidly. But we made a different decision at centre-back, and we wanted to have a left-footed player, which is why we went with Hiroki [Ito]."

De Ligt, meanwhile, was determined to reunite with his former boss Erik ten Hag after their days at Ajax. "Erik ten Hag shaped the early stages of my career, so he knows how to get the best out of me and I cannot wait to work with him again," he told