Ruben Amorim has recently been asked for his thoughts on Manchester United defender Matthijs de Ligt, as the Dutchman continues to shine for the Red Devils.
Manchester United have been in a rich vein of form as of late, going unbeaten for five games in a row, including a win at Anfield for the first time in nearly a decade of visits to the home of their biggest rivals, Liverpool.
After a worrying start to the season, Rúben Amorim is seemingly getting the best out of his players, with everyone contributing to the success in one way or another.
The introductions of new signings Matheus Cunha, Senne Lammens, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Šeško appear to have made a huge difference to Amorim’s side. A great sign for Jason Wilcox and his transfer team.
However, despite earning a lot of plaudits recently, United’s defence has not been as good as it might seem. With only one clean sheet this season and conceding six goals in the last three matches, improvements are definitely necessary for Amorim’s men.
Amorim’s praise and pointers for de Ligt
In an interview this week with Stadium Astro on YouTube, Amorim was asked for his opinions on the growth and ability of the Netherlands international, Matthijs de Ligt.
“I demand more or less the same of every player, of course, I understand that some characteristics of the players are different, and we have to manage that in the way we set up the team.”
“I think he’s (De Ligt) playing really well. I think he can play so much better with the ball; he needs to regain that confidence that I remember seeing when he was at Ajax. He needs to return a little bit back in that part of being confident, to be the guy that controls the tempo of the game”.
“But the way he’s defending, the way he’s transmitting strength to the team, intensity to the team, sometimes he’s pressing in the opposition’s box, so it’s something that I’m really pleased (with). I know that sometimes I just push my players, but I think he can be so much better.”
The United boss highlighted a lot of ways the player can improve, but insists that he is playing very well and is on track to be of huge importance for United for years to come.
Matthijs de Ligt’s form so far for United
De Ligt has probably had to adapt to Amorim’s system more than any other player, as his position, being the central centre-back, expects him to push into midfield while United are building out from the back, and slot back into the back line when defending.
The Dutchman has also proven that he can be a threat when attacking corners, scoring a 96th-minute equaliser away at Spurs at the beginning of the month.
The 2018 Golden Boy award winner has been a household name around European football for years, from making his debut at 16 years of age, to captaining Ajax at 18, and learning the tricks of the trade at Juventus and Bayern Munich.
It is no surprise that the 26-year-old is now thriving again at United as he starts to enter his prime years in football.
Read more: “I’ve changed my mindset…” – Matthijs de Ligt explains biggest reason for Manchester United form
Despite the majority of United fans noticing his brilliant performances last season under Amorim, his form went under the radar for the rest of the league; however, this season, he is finally getting the recognition he deserves and is being discussed as one of the best defenders in the Premier League.
Make sure to follow UtdDistrict on X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok to never miss out on any of our Manchester United content. Our podcast, What the Devil?, is streamed live every Thursday at 14:00 pm (GMT) on the United View YouTube channel.