Ever-present De Ligt on course for most minutes in years | OneFootball

Matthijs de Ligt rose high at the back post to earn Manchester United a point away to Tottenham Hotspur and he has been an ever-present figure for the Red Devils this season.

Ruben Amorim has a far more settled United team this season and when he is coming up with his starting XI for each game there are some players who look certain to feature: Bruno Fernandes is a must in midfield, Bryan Mbeumo has been electric as a wide forward, while Senne Lammens has already settled in as a the new number one. And in defence, De Ligt is a guaranteed starter.

In previous years, injuries have disrupted De Ligt's league campaigns. A shoulder injury saw him miss the start of the 2020/21 season for Juventus and his final year at Bayern Munich was interrupted by ligament injuries.

Even last season, De Ligt missed most of the last two months of the campaign as United limped to the finish line.

This season, perhaps aided by a lack of European football and an early exit from the League Cup, De Light has played in every minute of the opening 11 Premier League games.

Should De Ligt stay injury free remain Amorim's first choice in the centre of his back three then he could be on for a feat not achieved since his final campaign with Ajax back in the 2018/19 season.

In three campaigns with Juve, two with Bayern, and his first season with United, De Ligt has not made 30 league starts and has an average season playing time of 78%. De Ligt's final season at Bayern saw him play just 45% of league minutes while last season played 62% of league minutes for United.

However, during his first two full seasons with Ajax, De Ligt was a never ever present, playing 33 of 34 league games for the 2017/18 and 2018/19 seasons, which resulted in 95% and 97% league playing time respectively. The 26-year-old's first season with Bayern (2022/23) has been his best since then with 79%.

It's still early days, of course, we're not even a third of the way into the season but the Dutch defender could be on to one of his best – and longest – campaigns in years.