Manchester United’s summer signing Matthijs de Ligt has hit headlines in the Netherlands for his poor performance in the UEFA Nations League on Tuesday night. The former Bayern Munich man was hooked off at half-time during the Netherlands’ 2-2 draw with Germany. Ronald Koeman had clearly seen enough after his side conceded two sloppy first-half goals.
Brighton’s Jan Paul van Hecke was brought on to replace Matthijs de Ligt, and the 24-year-old immediately solidified things at the back. Denzel Dumfries went on to net a 50th minute equaliser and the Dutch were able to see out the game without conceding another goal. De Ligt watched the rest of the game from the bench as a punishment for some lackluster defending.
After the match, captain Virgil van Dijk was quizzed on De Ligt’s performance. ‘It happened to De Ligt on Saturday and tonight it happened again, how bad is this for him?’ Were the words of the reporter, to which Van Dijk responded: ‘This is football. You have to learn from this. It was one moment but at this level you will get punished for it.’
Matthijs de Ligt will now return to Manchester ahead of United’s crucial Premier League clash with Southampton. A chance for the Dutchman and the rest of the squad to redeem themselves after a poor start to the season. The Red Devils currently sit 14th in the table after losing two and winning one of their opening three matches.
GBeNeFN | Jonas Fielding
