It's been over three months since we last saw Matthijs de Ligt in a Manchester United shirt. He last featured for the club in a 2-1 win against Crystal Palace in November 2025. It's now February, and de Ligt's mysterious injury continues to keep him out of the squad.
His extended absence from the team is a detriment to both parties. United are without one of their best and most experienced defenders, which is especially difficult after the removal of Ruben Amorim and the hiring of interim head coach Michael Carrick. Carrick will be sorely missing such an experienced head in defence, both on the pitch and off it.
His absence is also likely to damage de Ligt's long-term career. Such a lengthy injury is very damaging to his general match sharpness, but is also hurting his stock in the wider football world. De Ligt would likely have been a no-brainer for Ronald Koeman's World Cup squad in the summer, but with his injury, Koeman may hesitate to call on the defender.
It's also hurting de Ligt's reputation within the team. Since Carrick has taken charge of the team, he has favoured a centre-back pairing of Lisandro Martinez, who recently returned from a long-term injury, and Harry Maguire. Even reliable squad players like Leny Yoro and Ayden Heaven are struggling for game time. De Ligt's chances are shrinking with every game he misses.
Update on de Ligt as defender suffers another injury setback
It seems that de Ligt still isn't going to be lacing up for Manchester United anytime soon. Reports suggest that de Ligt is aiming for a return at some point next month. The defender has suffered a serious of setbacks in his injury recovery, an injury reportedly picked up in the Crystal Palace game in November.
While de Ligt is beginning to reach full fitness, it will still be a little while until he is ready for a first-team match. The signs now are somewhat encouraging: there is a timeline for de Ligt's return to the first-team, and he has avoided the need for any surgery, which no doubt have lengthened his recovery period.
The questions now concern what will happen when de Ligt returns. If Carrick is happy with the pairing of Maguire and Martinez, will he be able to fight his way back into the side? Without Ruben Amorim's back-three system, is there a long-term place for de Ligt in the team?
Thankfully for the defender, those problems remain in his hands. he's clearly taking his time to recover effectively, and hopefully, for himself and his team, he will return as the player he once was, and continue to play a crucial role at Old Trafford, now and for years to come.