7/8 duels won ,33/35 passes – Manchester United star in trouble after teammate’s “fantastic” display vs Real Sociedad

One Manchester United star is in trouble after his teammate put on a “fantastic” performance against Real Sociedad in the Europa League on Thursday evening.

Manchester United’s Europa League knockout tie with Real Sociedad remains finely poised after a 1-1 draw in the first leg. Joshua Zirkzee’s second-half strike gave United the lead, but Mikel Oyarzabal’s penalty ensured the Spanish side secured a draw.

United started brightly, controlling possession and dictating the tempo, but struggled to turn their dominance into clear-cut chances. Their first real opening came in the 37th minute when both Zirkzee and Bruno Fernandes had efforts blocked on the line. Sociedad gradually grew into the game, but they failed to make their pressure count before halftime.

United broke the deadlock early in the second half, with Zirkzee finishing clinically from Alejandro Garnacho’s cut-back. However, Sociedad were given a route back into the game when Fernandes was penalised for handball, and Oyarzabal converted the resulting penalty with 20 minutes to play.

Looking to regain control, Amorim introduced Christian Eriksen for Garnacho, but Sociedad posed the greater attacking threat in the closing stages. A crucial late save from André Onana ensured the tie remains level heading into the second leg at Old Trafford.

De Ligt was “fantastic” against Sociedad

Matthijs de Ligt has had a rocky start to life at United, but it looks as if he is finally settling into himself and put on a “fantastic” display on Thursday evening.

Matthijs de Ligt is so so good in that central centre-back role…

He’s been fantastic of late, and was again so tonight!

— Dylan (@Dylyano) March 6, 2025

Starting as the middle centre-back in the back three with Leny Yoro to his right and Noussair Mazraoui on the left, De Ligt was just commanding with the ball as he was off it, with an unorthodox clearance in the final moments a particular highlight.

He completed 33 of his 35 attempted passes on the night, an accuracy of 94%, while having a total of 42 touches and competing one pass into the final third.

He also completed his only accurate cross and one of his two attempts long balls, showing his continued improvement with the ball at his feet after some initially concerning displays earlier this season.

Regarding his defensive contributions, the Dutchman made a fantastic last-man tackle, clearing the ball from danger on three occasions and performing three recoveries. He won three of his four ground duels and all three os his aerial duels, winning one foul and only committing one across his 90 minutes.

Maguire may be in trouble

In recent weeks, Harry Maguire has occupied the position of the central defender across the back three, but missed out on the trip to Spain after suffering a small problem against Fulham last weekend.

De Ligt’s performance in the middle may send alarm bells ringing for Maguire, as the 25-year-old’s fantastic display showed that his performances can be taken up a level by playing him in the middle rather than as one of the wide centre-backs.

Read More: 62 touches, 4 tackles – Manchester United star “relished” Real Sociedad clash, he is proving Ruben Amorim wrong

Leny Yoro has been brilliant on both the right and left sides of the back three recently, while Noussair Mazraoui also played well against Sociedad, taking up the role of left centre-back.

United’s overall performance was probably the most solid defensive display they have put on in the last few months, despite the few chances Sociedad created toward the end of the fixture.

With Maguire not part of that back line on Thursday, he may find it harder than anticipated to break back into the starting team.

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