"Isn't that a shame?" – Former scout hits out at Manchester United for their failure to sign 2 former Ajax superstars

Ex-Manchester United scout Marcel Bout has slammed the Red Devils for ignoring his transfer advice over former Ajax youth products Matthijs de Ligt and Frenkie de Jong.

Erik ten Hag's outfit were earlier heavily linked with De Jong, most notably in 2022. However, they failed to lure the 26-year-old away from Barcelona due to a number of reasons, including deferred wages.

Now, according to Bout, Manchester United were also once told to rope in De Ligt from Ajax alongwith the aforementioned midfielder. During an interview with Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad, he said:

"I said to Ed Woodward; 'Edwin van der Sar played here. Now, create a bridge to Ajax through him'. 17-year-old Matthijs de Ligt played in training. Later, Frenkie de Jong came to Ajax. 'Make sure that you make a deal early on for these kinds of talents and then you can always let them mature for a while in the Netherlands."

Lamenting the Red Devils top brass' indecisiveness, Bout continued:

"[My advice went ignored] because there are so many forces at play within United. [The United bosses] don't make decisions, or make them too late. Isn't that a shame? My dismissal has made me very angry."

Both De Jong and De Ligt shot to fame due to their fine performances a few years later. The pair cemented themselves as regular starters under Ten Hag at Ajax and helped their boyhood team reach the UEFA Champions League semi-final stage in the 2018-19 campaign.

Later on, De Jong secured a permanent transfer to Barcelona for a sum of around £65 million in the summer of 2019. De Ligt also left Ajax to join Juventus for close to £68 million ahead of the 2019-20 term.

Tony Cascarino labels Manchester United's Antony as the biggest flop of the campaign

Speaking to talkSPORT, ex-Chelsea attacker Tony Cascarino labelled Manchester United forward Antony as the biggest disappointment of the ongoing 2023-24 term. He elaborated:

"Antony has been hugely disappointing for a player that has been here almost a year. Manchester United paid a lot of money for him and he has not lived up to that in any shape or form!"

Antony, who joined Manchester United from Ajax in a move worth up to £86 million in 2022, is yet to record a goal contribution this season. He has started eight of his 12 appearances across all competitions.

The Red Devils, on the other hand, are currently sixth in the Premier League table with 21 points from 12 matches so far. They are next set to be in action at Everton in a league encounter on November 26.