Matthijs de Ligt has revealed that Louis van Gaal advised him that he would "fall in love" with Bayern Munich if he was to move to the club. Sure enough, he completed his switch from Juventus this week.
The Netherlands international has swapped Serie A for the Bundesliga champions, in one of the Bavarian outfit's flagship purchases of the summer.
Yet before making his decision, De Ligt talked it over with his national team coach, a former Bayern boss himself - and also revealed his admiration for new manager Julian Nagelsmann following his arrival at the club.
What has De Ligt said on Van Gaal's advice?
“At the beginning of the summer I discussed my future with Van Gaal and he had nothing but good words for Bayern.
"He praised their philosophy and told me that if I went there, I would fall in love with them."
On Nagelsmann, De Ligt added that he believes the German can help him advance his talents, adding: "He has shown that young people with him can grow and develop. I still see myself as such and want to improve."
What did Van Gaal achieve at Bayern?
Already a storied manager by the time he arrived in Munich, Van Gaal was installed at the helm of the Bundesliga heavyweights in 2009, overcoming a difficult start in charge to complete a domestic double and reach the Champions League final.
But form under the Dutchman nosedived in his sophomore season, and he was ultimately dismissed in April 2011, less than two years into the job, and just a month on from the club confirming he would leave early at the end of the campaign.
His legacy helped build Bayern for their continued domination of German domestic football since, with his move to push Thomas Muller into the starting XI and his decision to convert Bastian Schweinsteiger into a defensive midfielder both crucial calls that helped the club - and ultimately the Germany national team - to success down the line.