Maligned Utd star reaps the plaudits for his ‘outstanding’ showing vs So’ton, he ‘avenged himself’

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·16 September 2024

Maligned Utd star reaps the plaudits for his ‘outstanding’ showing vs So’ton, he ‘avenged himself’

After two substandard national team performances thrust Matthijs de Ligt into the firing line, the Dutch press has rightfully given him his flowers after a stellar showing for Manchester United over the weekend.

Indeed, the centre-half returned from the international break as one of the most maligned players from the Nations League round of fixtures.

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Against Bosnia and Herzegovina, De Ligt was caught out of position for both of the away side’s goals but was ultimately spared his blushes after his teammates were able to get the job done by scoring five to their opponents two.

Then, when locking horns with Germany last Tuesday, the 25-year-old was largely at fault for Julian Nagelsmann’s men equalising in the first half; a lapse in concentration led to him playing a sloppy pass, which was easily intercepted by the prolific Jamal Musiala, who was then able to work his magic before Deniz Undav found the back of the net.

De Ligt won’t be able to make amends for his international affairs until October – presuming he retains his place in the squad – but has bounced back at the earliest opportunity at club level; he was integral to United’s 3-0 win over Southampton on Saturday, scoring the opening goal in the 35th minute and working in harmony with the backline to keep a second clean sheet of the campaign.

What the press are saying about De Ligt

Algemeen Dagblad newspaper labelled the Player of the Match’s performance as ‘outstanding’, while Voetbal Zone added: “Matthijs de Ligt has somewhat avenged himself in the first half of the duel between Southampton and Manchester United for his two mediocre performances in the Dutch national team.”

“Against Southampton, Matthijs de Ligt finally played with freedom and suddenly full of confidence,” penned one journalist from Het Parool.

(Photo by Glyn KIRK / AFP)