100% aerial duels won, 9 recoveries: United catalyst puts in dominant display on international duty

Manchester United had three players in action on international duty on Monday. Matthijs de Ligt The Dutch centre back has been in imperious form this season and fully deserves his recall to the national team. De Ligt has been one of the team’s most improved players this year and impressed in the Netherlands’ 4-0 win over Lithuania. He won two interceptions, made two clearances and blocked two shots to help preserve his side’s clean sheet. De Ligt made nine recoveries in the match and also came out on top in one of his two ground duels. The giant centre back was dominant in the air, winning all six of his aerial duels against the Lithuanians. He was also impressive on the ball, completing 88% of his passes during the game. Matthijs de Ligt stats vs Lithuania StatValue Goals0 Assists0 Tackles (won)0 (0) Interceptions2 Clearances2 Blocked shots2 Recoveries9 Ground duels (won)2 (1) Aerial duels (won)6 (6) Fouls1 Dribbled past0 Key passes0 Crosses (accurate)2 (1) Accurate passes70/80 (88%) Passes in opposition half (acc.)26/34 (76%) Passes in own half (acc.)43/46 (93%) Long balls (accurate)3/5 (60%) Touches92 Dribbles (successful)0 (0) Was fouled1 Possession lost11 Total shots2 Shots on target0 Shots blocked0 James Scanlon The United academy star grabbed an assist last time out in Gibraltar’s narrow 1-2 defeat to Montenegro. Sadly, his nation were much less competitive against Czechia, losing 0-6 away from home. Scanlon played the entire 90 minutes, completing 83% of his passing attempts. The 19 year old also completed one of his two dribble attempts. The youngster also won two ground duels but failed to win any aerial battles or complete any tackles on a tough day at the office. Leny Yoro Yoro played the entire 90 minutes of France Under-21s 1-0 victory over the Faroe Islands. He was partnered in the middle of the defence by Nathan Zeze. The youngster will be pleased to become a regular for the French Under-21s but such is the talent of the 20 year old, he will soon have his sights set on a full debut for the national team. Featured image Srdjan Stevanovic via Getty Images – The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Alex Browne Alex is a huge Manchester United fan, inspired by greats of his homeland such as George Best, Harry Gregg and Norman Whiteside. Alex has a Master’s degree from Queen’s University Belfast and La Universitat Rovira i Virgili in Tarragona, Spain. Having lived in the country since 2011, Alex is The Peoples Person’s Spanish football expert and is fluent in both Spanish and Catalan. He dreams of witnessing a United captain triumphantly hoisting the Premier League and Champions League trophy in the air once more.