“He just looks clunky” - Chris Sutton fires shots at Manchester United star amid poor form
Football pundit Chris Sutton believes Matthijs de Ligt is yet to hit the ground running at Manchester United. He also questioned the Dutchman's physique, claiming he had bulked up more than required.
Sutton was on the It's All Kicking Off podcast when he said that the former Ajax star was agile and mobile when he was with the Eredivisie side. However, he now seems to have spent too much in the gym and is not moving about freely on the pitch. Sutton said:
"[He's] been in the gym too much. I mean, most people need to get in the gym. When he was at Ajax and he came to the fore, not only was he strong, but he was agile, he was mobile. He just looks clunky, doesn't he?"
Jamie Carragher also talked about De Ligt's time at United so far, opining the Dutchman was not aware of his surroundings while defending. He said on Sky Sports:
"I've noticed this with De Ligt and a lot of centre-backs, I don't understand why they don't fill the space and come over. The striker just behind him has got nothing to do with him, that is Martinez's job. It comes from his starting position. I can talk about United's midfield, running at the back four. But where's De Ligt? The right-back's come up and look where De Ligt is. You've got to get over. So in every situation in the first-half, De Ligt, a player they brought in for huge money, is completely out of position."
Manchester United signed Matthijs de Ligt from Bayern Munich this summer as a replacement for Raphael Varane, who left for Como. The Frenchman later announced his retirement after suffering a serious injury.
Erik ten Hag confident about Matthijs de Ligt despite poor start at Manchester United
Matthijs de Ligt has been under pressure since moving to Manchester United and has faced heavy criticism from pundits. However, Erik ten Hag believes the defender has been good and is one of the reasons they have kept four clean sheets this season.
Talking about dropping the defender for the Aston Villa clash, which finished goalless, he said:
"We have loads of games. We have to rotate the team, the freshness, and I think it was a good decision today. This is our fourth clean sheet of this season and that tells something about the control we have in and out of possession, we are organised very well. In many games so far we create loads of chances."
Matthijs de Ligt will be key for Manchester United in the upcoming matches as Harry Maguire is out injured.