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Ronald Koeman makes bizarre claim after snubbing Matthijs de Ligt for the Netherlands vs Poland

Ronald Koeman decided to snub Manchester United defender Matthijs de Ligt once again as the Netherlands drew 1-1 against Poland.

Manchester United are currently unbeaten in their last five games, which includes three wins, and are now awaiting their return to action following the latest international break.

Many of Ruben Amorim’s squad have jetted off to play for their respective national teams, and Matthijs de Ligt was one of those after being recalled to the Dutch national team.

Ronald Koeman had regularly left De Ligt out of the lineup and squad for the Netherlands over the last year but he was almost forced to include the United defender this time around.

De Ligt has arguably been United’s best player so far this season and many would say that the 26-year-old has been one of the best defenders across the entire Premier League.

Koeman’s bizarre claim after snubbing De Ligt for the Netherlands

Even though De Ligt was recalled to the national team this week, he had to sit on the bench and watch as his team drew 1-1 with Poland.

Despite snubbing his best-performing defender once again, Koeman took to the media after the game and explained how the defence needs to improve; a bizarre statement considering his actions.

“In certain situations, we need to be more patient and improve our defence,” Koeman told reporters after the game on Friday.

“Poland didn’t have many opportunities, but they created two clear goal-scoring chances, while we failed to capitalise on such opportunities.”

De Ligt decision is good for United

For United, the strange decision to leave De Ligt out of teams and squads at international level is a good thing, with the defender set to be fully fit when he returns to Carrington.

De Ligt is quickly becoming one of the most important players at Old Trafford. He has played every minute of every game in the Premier League so far this term.

Read more: Manchester United labelled ‘favourites’ to sign Bundesliga defender in 2026

But the defender will also be wondering what more he can do to prove to Koeman that he deserves chances for the Netherlands.


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