National team manager says dropping outstanding United ace “pains” him after 26-yo’s superb start to the season

Matthijs de Ligt has been a rock at the back for Manchester United this season. The Dutchman has successfully ousted Harry Maguire from the central centre-back position in Ruben Amorim’s 3-4-3 system.

De Ligt has played every minute of every game for the Red Devils in the Premier League this season, and also featured from the bench in the defeat to Grimsby Town in the EFL Cup.

Apart from the defeat against Brentford, where the entire team were poor, the player hasn’t put a foot wrong this season.

United reportedly paid Bayern Munich €45m for De Ligt last summer as they attempted to address their defensive troubles and the 26 year old has gone from strength to strength so far.

De Ligt has come into his own this year

After the mixed 2024/25 campaign, De Ligt has come into his own this season. The Dutchman has become the leader that United were craving for at the back, and has taken to Amorim’s tactics pretty well.

He was outstanding against Chelsea in a right centre-back role, completing 86% of his passes, registering four clearances and three ground duels.

De Ligt took on added responsibility when the Red Devils lost their man advantage in the game at the Theatre of Dreams, and ultimately helped his team secure all three points.

He was key in United’s 2-0 win over Sunderland as well. Unfortunately, his efforts were not enough to secure him a place in the Netherlands’ squad for the upcoming international games.

A painful decision for Koeman

When Oranje boss Ronald Koeman announced his squad for the FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Malta and Finland, one of the surprising omissions was De Ligt. The Dutch defender has appeared 51 times for his national team to date.

Speaking to the press, the former Barcelona manager acknowledged that dropping the player was a tough decision.

“That sometimes gives me pain in my head, from the central defenders that I sometimes have to drop,” said Koeman.

“That’s the least fun part of my job. I have a lot of contact with Matthijs, he is also a boy who asks for feedback, what he has to do to be there.”

United fans, however, won’t be too disappointed. De Ligt’s absence from the international squad means that the player is likely to be well rested for the crunch game against Liverpool at Anfield on 19 October.

Featured image Jan Kruger via Getty Images

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