Man Utd: ‘Broken’ summer signing deemed ‘vulnerable’ with opponent urged to ‘look for him’
Manchester United summer signing Matthijs de Ligt has been labelled a “broken man” after struggling for the Netherlands during the international break.
De Ligt was one of five permanent arrivals at Man Utd in the summer as new co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe invested around £180m on new signings.
The Dutchman joined Joshua Zirkzee, Leny Yoro, Noussair Mazraoui and Manuel Ugarte in signing for the Premier League giants.
One of Man Utd‘s priorities heading into the summer transfer window was to sign a new centre-back or two. Everton starlet Jarrad Branthwaite was initially identified as their main target, but De Ligt and Yoro were signed as cheaper alternatives for around £90m combined.
De Ligt progressed through the ranks at Ajax and previously worked with Man Utd boss Erik ten Hag in the Eredivisie. He was once mooted as a player capable of progressing into the best centre-back in the world, but he is coming off difficult spells at Juventus and Bayern Munich.
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The 25-year-old made his first Premier League start for Man Utd against Liverpool alongside Lisandro Martinez as his side suffered a damaging 3-0 defeat.
De Ligt subsequently featured for the Netherlands during the international break. He was criticised for his performance against Bosnia before Ronald Koeman dragged him off at half time as they were held to a 2-2 draw against Germany.
When asked about De Ligt’s errors, Koeman said: “Of course I would rather have kept Matthijs de Ligt on the pitch. It just looks like he is now in a period where all his mistakes are being punished.
“I gave him a new chance today, but eventually protected him by taking him off.”
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Man Utd’s next four matches are against Southampton, Barnsley (in the Carabao Cup), Crystal Palace and FC Twente (in the Europa League).
Dutch analysts Leon ten Voorde and Etienne Verhoeff have responded to De Ligt’s recent struggles and have told FC Twente forward Sam Lammers to target him later this month.
Ten Voorde said: “A defender who has of course had a pretty difficult time behind him and was looking for some confirmation with the Dutch national team and if it ends like this… the magnifying glass was of course on him after the past two international matches.
“And you are substituted at half-time against Germany, the country where you played for Bayern Munich until recently. The German press was also not kind to De Ligt.”
Verhoeff added: “Manchester United wants to have a strong defender, but now a broken man is coming in. Joseph Oosting must have told Lammers to let De Ligt play the deep passes.”
Ten Voorde continued: “De Ligt is a free man, let him play those balls. Look for him, he is vulnerable. Balls behind him, in his back, and it’s 0-1 at Old Trafford.”