'I like Ten Hag, but it's over now with him'

AS Matthijs de Ligt sought a fresh start this summer, he was attracted by the idea of a reunion with the coach who gave him the platform to launch his career and made him captain of Ajax while still in his teens.

- TYRONE MARSHALL

De Ligt looked like a world-beater when he left Amsterdam to join Juventus in 2019, but five years and two clubs later, the doubts were beginning to grow. To try and get back to the player he was at 17, 18 and 19, he got back together with Erik ten Hag, his coach for 70 games at Ajax.

They managed only a dozen more at United before Ten Hag paid the price for a prolonged spell of poor form, but it might just have been enough to get De Ligt back on the right track. After a shaky start and a nightmare international break with the Netherlands in September, the 25-year-old is beginning to look assured at Old Trafford.

His partnership with Lisandro Martinez is starting to flourish, and he has started six of the last seven games. Only one of those has ended in defeat, and De Ligt's performances have gone under the radar, which is never a bad thing for a central defender, especially one whose confidence had taken such a battering just two months ago.