Matthijs de Ligt: Ruben Amorim must take decisive action on star | OneFootball

Manchester United defender Matthijs de Ligt got the nod against Arsenal on the opening day of the Premier League season and did not disappoint.

The centre back has played for some of the biggest teams in the world including Juventus and Bayern Munich and made the switch to Old Trafford last August.

De Ligt came to the club with a big reputation but he had a mixed first campaign.

The Dutch central defender had some impressive performances but he also struggled from time to time and injury ruined the last two months of his debut campaign.

Impressive start to the campaign

De Ligt started off in impressive fashion last weekend against Arsenal when he put in a fantastic performance to shackle Viktor Gyokeres.

He won six aerial duels in the match, more than any player in the Premier League except Virgil van Dijk.

The Peoples Person also highlighted the key role De Ligt played in a strong performance despite the opening day defeat to the Gunners.

Therefore, Ruben Amorim must maintain De Ligt as a regular component of the back three.

Dominance

Most United fans would probably agree that Leny Yoro is the defender at the club with the highest ceiling but De Ligt shines at aspects that the young Frenchman still needs to develop.

He is incredibly strong in the air and is not frightened to get into physical tussles.

In the Premier League this is such an important aspect of the game with players such as Erling Haaland, Ollie Watkins and Chris Wood to be dealt with.

Sometimes United and Premier League fans forget how respected a player De Ligt is in the footballing community and he has been described as “a name that resonates with excellence in football defence. Known for his remarkable skills, leadership qualities, and ability to win duels.”

Maguire can’t be relied on

De Ligt must play in the centre of the back three, as he lacks the recovery pace of a Leny Yoro or Ayden Heaven.

This puts him in direct competition with Harry Maguire, who despite improvement, cannot play regularly from the start for United.

De Ligt has similar qualities in that they are both physical defenders who love engaging in battles with their centre forward. Maguire is probably even better in the air and perhaps has slightly better distribution.

Nonetheless, De Ligt makes considerably fewer individual errors than Maguire and crucially, is six years younger than him.

At 26-years-old, his best days as a defender are ahead of him while at 31-years-old, Maguire is probably already beyond his peak.

United have a young team and particularly defence, so De Ligt fits their timeline a lot better than the England international.

Big game experience

As previously mentioned, United have a lot of exciting young talent in their defence such as Leny Yoro, Ayden Heaven, Patrick Dorgu and Diego Leon.

Nonetheless, the drawback of this is that they lack significant minutes in big games, where matches are decided by tiny moments.

What’s more, other options such as Noussair Mazraoui and Luke Shaw did not start out their careers as centre backs and even in a back three, are still learning on the job a little.

Therefore, De Ligt as an experienced centre back, brings an extra calming presence.

The Dutch international has handled pressure his whole footballing life, having captained Ajax at 19-years-old.

What’s more, he has played numerous Champions League matches with Ajax, Juventus and Bayern Munich, collecting many titles along the way.

Chance to build understanding

Most fans would probably accept that De Ligt, Yoro and Lisandro Martinez are the three best centre backs at the club.

With United largely only playing once a week this season with no European football, the Red Devils have the chance to play a rather steady team most weeks.

Once Martinez returns from injury, it would be a rare luxury for United to play the same back three to develop consistency and understanding.

Any successful United defence or indeed any team’s, needs time to foster trust and understanding and De Ligt can play a major role in this moving forward for Ruben Amorim.

Featured image Michael Regan via Getty Images

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