Recent Man Utd signing told his international career is over after horror error sees manager take pity

Recent Manchester United signing Matthijs De Ligt has been told his Netherlands career is finished after an error-strewn international break, with De Ligt, centre-back partner Virgil van Dijk and manager Ronald Koeman among those weighing in on his future.

De Ligt, 25, left Bayern Munich to forge a reunion with Erik ten Hag at Man Utd over the summer. The centre-back has been in the spotlight ever since breaking through at Ajax while still a teenager.

De Ligt has racked up close to 50 caps for the Netherlands, though hasn’t always been a regular starter.

Indeed, it was Inter Milan’s Stefan De Vrij who was chosen to partner captain Virgil van Dijk at Euro 2024.

However, De Ligt got the nod to play alongside Van Dijk in the current international break where the Dutch squared off in Nations League encounters with Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as Germany.

De Ligt struggled in the first clash, leading to the player admitting his display was well below par in the aftermath of the 5-2 victory.

“I think you know how I feel, we won but then comes the individual part,” said De Ligt (as quoted by the Daily Mail).

“I should have done better at their second goal, and I know that. I don’t really know what happened.. I should have cleared the ball but I kept having doubts during the play. It’s just f****d.

“If this game is a missed opportunity for me? I don’t know, I just try to do my best.”

Manager Ronald Koeman kept faith with De Ligt for the higher profile tie with Germany on Tuesday night.

However, De Ligt was again at fault, with his errant pass out from the back directly leading to Deniz Undav’s equaliser.

With De Ligt clearly struggling for confidence and actively costing his side, Koeman took pity on the defender when hauling him off at half time.

Explaining his decision post-match, 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.”

Former Dutch internationals Rafael van der Vaart and Pierre van Hooijdonk were covering the game as pundits for Dutch broadcaster NOS.

Van Hooijdonk described De Ligt’s mistake against Germany as “terrible”, while Van der Vaart strongly hinted De Ligt’s international career will now be over.

Van Hooijdonk said (as quoted by United in Focus): “He had a similar moment in the beginning, where he actually loses the ball in a simple way by means of a pass. And then it happens a second time. That is terrible for De Ligt.

“Ultimately, top sport is very tough, and then it’s over. We all think De Ligt is a great player, but how often has this happened to the Dutch national team? And at almost all crucial moments.

“At some point it stops, especially when you have competitors who are of a high level.”

Van der Vaart delivered a three-word response to De Ligt’s display, declaring: “This is fatal”

Van Dijk responds to De Ligt troubles

The fact the Netherlands did not concede once De Ligt went off and also pulled a goal back in the second half to secure a 2-2 draw does not reflect well on De Ligt.

Centre-back partner Van Dijk appeared to offer little sympathy for the Man Utd man when speaking on his error.

“This is football,” began the Netherlands captain. “You have to learn from this.

“It was one moment but at the highest level you will get punished for it.”

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Why has De Ligt’s career derailed?

De Ligt was brought in to learn at the feet of Juve icon Giorgio Chiellini in 2019 before eventually taking over from the veteran Italian defender.

But across three seasons in Serie A, the Dutch star experienced a tumultuous time of managerial changes, switches in system and a greater scrutiny on the errors he committed.

So in the summer of 2022, he moved to Bayern, this time in a deal worth up to €77m. Under Julian Nagelsmann, De Ligt started 27 Bundesliga games in his first season at the Allianz Arena, playing a key role in a title triumph.

His place was less assured with Thomas Tuchel in charge last season, though, when a combination of injuries and inconsistent form saw the former Ajax star make just 16 starts in the German top flight, leading to him being deemed expendable in the summer.

He has also slid down the pecking order at international level, remaining an unused substitute throughout the Netherlands’ run to the semi-finals at Euro 2024.

And after now having fallen short of expectations after two mega moves, there are question marks over whether De Ligt is capable of elevating United’s backline.

“He’s had a lot of injuries, hasn’t started many games over the last two or three years and Man Utd are spending £45-50 million on him,” legendary United defender Rio Ferdinand commented on his YouTube channel.

“Is he going to come into Man Utd and make a difference? I think it’s a big ask for him and all eyes are going to be on him.

“Big pressure, big opportunity for him, but there’s a lot of uncertainty I think with this signing because of his previous seasons with two big clubs not going as well as we’d have anticipated.

“I don’t think he’s the answer, but it’s a great opportunity for him to go in there and go, ‘You know what guys? I’m going to rectify my last couple of seasons. That’s not the real me, and I’m going to show you’.”

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