Van Basten: "De Ligt would have learnt more if he'd joined Barça"

Marco Van Basten, one of the most iconic names in Dutch football, has lamented Matthijs de Ligt's decision to join Juventus last summer. The former striker believes his compatriot should have picked one of the other sides who were interested in his services instead.

In Italy, de Ligt's reputation has improved considerably in recent weeks. However Van Basten isn't reading off the same hymnsheet as Serie A fans. "I don't think de Ligt has been any better than he was at Ajax last season," he told 'Ziggo Sport'. "Chiellini is a true team player whereas Bonucci does his own thing. He isn't as organised and doesn't let Matthijs know what he needs to do on the pitch. Chiellini also helps out his teammates throughout a match."

And the stinging criticism doesn't stop there. "De Ligt would've learnt a lot more if he'd joined a team like Barcelona, Real Madrid or Manchester City." Van Basten isn't exactly a big fan of Italian football either. "He would have played in a more interesting league than Serie A, which has less quality than the others I mentioned."