Matthijs de Ligt has quietly become one of those players you simply can’t leave out anymore. Week after week, the Dutch defender shows up with the same intensity, crashing into tackles, organising the line, and still somehow finding enough in the tank to pop up with crucial goals. He’s also the only Manchester United player who has played every single minute of the Premier League season so far this season. This was confirmed by Manchester United via the club’s official X account.
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It honestly says everything about how important he’s become. His header against Tottenham Hotspur at the weekend arrived exactly when United were desperate for something. With the clock dying out, he climbed above everyone and powered in a brilliant equaliser that rescued a point for Manchester United, as reported by Softfootball It was one of those moments that reminds you why he’s rated so highly across Europe. That goal also rounded off a strong stretch of form that earned him a well deserved return to the Netherlands squad for the World Cup qualifiers.
De Ligt, who has discussed earlier about reaching his prime year at Manchester United, as reported by Softfootball, has now logged 990 league minutes. Behind him are Bruno Fernandes on 980, Bryan Mbeumo with 955, and then Luke Shaw and Amad completing the top five. It might look like a small stat, but it shows just how much trust he’s gained under Ruben Amorim.
Since arriving from Bayern Munich, the 26-year-old has been rock solid. Only a few defenders in the Premier League have won more aerial duels. Amorim noted after the Spurs draw that De Ligt is defending really well and that he wants his centre backs to control the tempo even more.
It’s not all perfect yet. Sometimes he still plays a little too safe instead of showing his full quality on the ball, but the progress is obvious. United’s unbeaten run heading into the international break has a lot to do with him. Right now it’s honestly hard to picture that defence without the big Dutchman anchoring it.
