Rio Ferdinand has praised one ‘magnificent’ star for their start to the season at Manchester United and he believes they have a guaranteed spot in the team.
Manchester United’s start to the new Premier League season has been inconsistent, with just two wins from their first five fixtures.
Ruben Amorim guided his side to an important victory over Chelsea at the weekend, adding to their earlier 3-2 triumph against Burnley.
On the flip side, they suffered defeats to Arsenal and Manchester City and were forced to settle for a draw with Fulham. Their Carabao Cup campaign also ended in embarrassment with a shock exit to League Two outfit Grimsby Town.
Following a disastrous campaign last year, these early setbacks mean Amorim is already facing pressure as the team heads into a crucial phase of the season.
Ferdinand praises ‘magnificent’ United star
Despite the rocky start to the season, there have been some standout performers at United which provides some positively for the future.
Matthijs de Ligt has started every game for the Reds so far in the Premier League and was one of the best players on the pitch against Chelsea.
Rio Ferdinand has labelled his fellow centre-back as ‘magnificent’ and he believes that the Dutchman is one of the first names on Amorim’s teamsheet.
“I think he’s been magnificent this season,” said Ferdinand. “Solid in all departments and I think he’s put himself in place to be probably the first name on the teamsheet.
“If we go by [Leny] Yoro being sub at the weekend and you think, okay, it probably looks like De Ligt is the number one choice defender in the team from the manager’s point of view.
“I think he’s been he’s been so sound and the fact he’s been keeping Harry Maguire out of the team says everything.”
Where will De Ligt play?
De Ligt has definitely been one of United’s best performers so far this term, but interestingly, his best performance came on the right side of the back three.
The Dutchman is usually played through the middle but his aggression in the press and ability in duels makes him a useful option in the wide centre-back role.
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Considering how important those wide centre-backs are, it will be interesting to see whether Amorim uses De Ligt more on that right side going forward.
If that is going to be the case, Yoro could try to get more minutes from the left side or even potentially in that centre role, although Maguire feels like the natural choice there if De Ligt is moving across.
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