Erik ten Hag leaps to defence of Man Utd star under fire after international break

Erik ten Hag has come to the defence of Manchester United’s recent acquisition, Matthijs De Ligt, following his troubled performances for the Netherlands during the international break.

De Ligt, who joined the Red Devils from Bayern Munich for £42million last month, was culpable for both goals in Holland’s 2-2 Nations League draw with Germany.

The 25-year-old defender was substituted at the interval by Dutch manager Ronald Koeman, who admitted he made the change to “protect” De Ligt from further blunders.

These mishaps occurred shortly after De Ligt was involved in glaring errors during Holland’s 5-2 triumph over Bosnia & Herzegovina, prompting Koeman to remark: “It just looks like he is now in a period where all his mistakes are being punished.”

In response to Koeman’s remarks about De Ligt, Ten Hag commented: “I think he said it in reference to the Dutch squad, not a club situation.

“I know Matthijs and he’s a great personality. With his character, he will overcome this and will bounce back in this situation with the Dutch squad. It’s definitely not his club situation.

“I’m not afraid of this situation, I know his qualities, I know his personality and I know he’ll fight back.

“The other thing is that he had a very difficult pre-season, because he didn’t play games.

“The only game from the start was the last game against Liverpool. Without this, he goes and starts for the Dutch squad and he’s not in the right rhythm yet or up to full speed, but when he is you will see his qualities and a different player.”

De Ligt is likely to start when United face Southampton in the Saturday early kick-off.