£42m Manchester United star told rival Brighton player is ‘100 per cent better’

Brighton centre-back Jan Paul van Hecke is a better player than Manchester United’s Matthijs de Ligt, according to Dutch pundit Valentijn Driessen.

Van Hecke was playing for NAC Breda in the Eerste Divisie – the second-highest tier in the Netherlands – when he was signed by Brighton in September 2020.

Following loan spells at Heerenveen and Blackburn Rovers, Van Hecke returned to Brighton and formed a solid partnership alongside Lewis Dunk last season.

The 24-year-old continues to impress for Brighton and was rewarded with his first senior cap for the Netherlands national team in September as he replaced De Ligt at half time in the 2-2 draw with Germany.

De Ligt, meanwhile, has endured a difficult start at United following his £42.9 million move from Bayern Munich in the summer.

And Driessen feels Van Hecke is currently a better option than De Ligt for the Dutch national side.

‘Liverpool were really outplayed [by Brighton] in the first half,’ Driessen said on De Telegraaf’s Kick Off podcast.

‘Brighton played really great. That Van Hecke… when you see him in the build-up, how calm he remains… he did almost everything right.’

When asked if he believes Van Hecke is better than De Ligt, Driessen replied: ‘Yes, one hundred per cent. On the ball, definitely.

‘And in terms of defending… he doesn’t need fouls, he doesn’t do really stupid things.

‘I thought De Ligt was a lot better yesterday against Chelsea than in the previous matches, but he did make a huge slip just before the end. Literally. He slipped, which almost put Chelsea at 1-2. But for the rest he held his own quite well. But I really liked Van Hecke, yes.’

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