Matthijs de Ligt delivers Erik ten Hag sack verdict in Manchester United plea

Matthijs de Ligt has made his feelings on Erik ten Hag known in a clear plea to Manchester United’s hierarchy ahead of the tie against Aston Villa.

Erik ten Hag is facing increasing pressure as Manchester United prepares to face Aston Villa in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.

A lacklustre draw against FC Twente last week was followed by a tragic 3-0 loss against Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford, which led to many fans calling for new co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe to sack the Dutchman.

Read More: Matthijs de Ligt names ex-Manchester United star as ‘best defender’ he’s ever played with

Then, United flew to Portugal to play FC Porto in a Europa League tie. They threw away a 2-0 lead. Bruno Fernandes was sent off, before Harry Maguire scored a towering last-minute header to rescue a point in a 3-3 draw.

Now, United travel to face Aston Villa in the Premier League. Unai Emery’s side are in red-hot form, sitting 5th in the Premier League table and coming off the back of a historic Champions League victory over Bayern Munich.

Reports following the Tottenham loss claimed that Ten Hag would be granted the Porto and Villa games leading up to the international break but that during the pause in domestic football, leaders would meet to discuss the club’s season so far.

Ratcliffe, Sir Dave Brailsford, and other key decision-makers at the club are set to meet in London on Tuesday to discuss the side, and many are expecting an outcome that will lead to the Dutch manager being relieved of his duties.

However, this is not the case for Matthijs de Ligt. The Dutch defender signed from Bayern for a fee of around £43 million in the 2024 summer transfer window after a career that has taken him around Europe.

The 25-year-old has played for Ajax, Juventus, and Bayern so far in his career and has never really settled at the club. Speaking ahead of the Villa tie, he has expressed hope to continue with Ten Hag at United in an apparent plea to keep the manager.

“To be fair, like, it’s quite funny because in my career, I never had a trainer for longer than one and a half seasons,” he told Sky Sports.

“So this is something that, yeah, I hope I can have now that I have a trainer or a manager who stays longer with me as a player so you can grow more together also.”

United and Villa will do battle at Villa Park on Sunday afternoon, with many feeling that should Ten Hag’s side not show a convincing win, it will be one-too-many poor performances from United to keep the Dutch boss in a job.

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 released every Wednesday at 6 pm (BST) on the United View YouTube channel.