Arjen Robben (L) and Stefan de Vrij of the Netherlands celebrate after winning their 2014 World Cup third-place playoff against Brazil at the Brasilia national stadium in Brasilia July 12, 2014.
Arjen Robben (L) and Stefan de Vrij of the Netherlands celebrate after winning their 2014 World Cup third-place playoff against Brazil at the Brasilia national stadium in Brasilia July 12, 2014. REUTERS/Dominic Ebenbichler

A big blow comes the way of Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal, after Netherlands defender Stefan de Vrij joined Lazio.

The former Bayern Munich manager recently revealed that he intends to sign a defender to fill the void caused by the exit of Red Devils veterans, which include Patrice Evra, Rio Ferdinand, and Nemanja Vidic.

The 22-year-old Dutch international started all of the 7 fixtures for the Oranje, en route to a third-place finish, forming a decent partnership with Ron Vlaar that saw them produce four clean sheets.

"Lazio really proved that they wanted me and I am very happy I have made this move. I hope to become a more complete defender in Italy," said de Vrij.

At club level, de Vrij was a consistent first-choice centre-back since the 2010/11 season for Feyenoord, making a total of 135 Eredivisie appearances since joining the senior squad in 2009.

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