Matthijs de Ligt faces uncertainty amid continued injury struggles

After a strong start to the season for Matthijs de Ligt, the Manchester United centre-back is yet to play a game in 2026.

De Ligt became a key member of Ruben Amorim’s back three at Old Trafford, however a surprise absence on 4th December 2025 against West Ham United was a massive cause for concern.

The worries of a major injury for de Ligt were dismissed by Amorim, calling it a “small thing”, however he never played again for the Portuguese manager and is still waiting to return.

The former Netherlands international suffered an injury to his back and has unfortunately suffered several set-backs on his road to recovery.

Now, with a huge question mark still hanging over his return date, Michael Carrick hasn’t been able to shed any more light on the issue.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference for Manchester United’s trip to Bournemouth, the Red Devils caretaker manager commented about de Ligt’s setback.

When asked about de Ligt’s rehab, Carrick explained it’s in a similar place to where it has been, commenting it’s frustrating for the defender.

He went on to address how it’s difficult to gauge when he’ll return, saying: “With backs sometimes you think it’s all right and all of a sudden it’s not quite right.”

He continued: “We’re just being patient and working through it. We’ll give him time and try to get him back as quickly as we can, but it’s really difficult to say.”

With Lisandro Martinez also out of action, United will be hoping that Matthijs de Ligt can recover soon, relying on Harry Maguire and Leny Yoro to hold the defence over recent games.