• 15 Oct, 2024

Matthijs de Ligt has already made feelings on Virgil van Dijk clear amid criticism

Matthijs de Ligt has already made feelings on Virgil van Dijk clear amid criticism

Manchester United defender Matthijs de Ligt has made no secret of his stance on Virgil van Dijk, who raised eyebrows with comments he made after the Netherlands drew 2-2 with Germany

Virgil van Dijk's comments should hit home for Matthijs de Ligt as he holds his Netherlands team-mate in the highest regard.

Manchester United's summer signing endured a frustrating international break with his nation. De Ligt returned to the Dutch starting XI after getting no minutes at Euro 2024.

Ronald Koeman started him in both of their Nations League fixtures in place of the injured Stefan de Vrij. But following a blunder in their 5-2 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina on Saturday, De Ligt made another error in last night's 2-2 draw with Germany.

The 25-year-old lost possession in defence, leading to Deniz Undav cancelling out Tijjani Reijnders' early goal. Koeman replaced him at half-time with Brighton's Jan Paul van Hecke, while captain Van Dijk stated in his post-match interview that his defensive partner "has to learn".