Image Credits: Imago Images
As we enter October, it marks the second international break of the season, with Manchester United thankfully heading into the two week Premier League lull with a vital win over Sunderland.
The Red Devils finally sit in the top half of the table once more, albeit only just, currently holding 10th place with 10 points.
Only six points separate them from both league leaders Arsenal on 16 points and the other way 19th place West Ham United on four points, showing the league is still wide open after seven games.
Despite some changes for the Sunderland clash, most notably Senne Lammens being handed his debut, picking up an impressive clean sheet to mark the occasion, Ruben Amorim has been very consistent in his line-ups.
One player to have started every Premier League game this season is Matthijs de Ligt, having become the centre point of Amorim’s back three.
However, the Dutch defender has been snubbed during the most recent international call-ups, with Ronald Koeman neglecting to select the United centre-back for the Netherlands’ 2026 World Cup qualifiers with Malta and Finland.
Speaking on the Netherlands’ national team official website, Koeman explained his decision, saying: “That sometimes makes my head hurt, because of the central defenders I sometimes have to drop. That’s the least enjoyable part of my job.”
He continued: “I have a lot of contact with Matthijs, he’s also a guy who asks for feedback, about what he needs to do to be included.”
With centre-backs at Koeman’s disposal like Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk, Tottenham Hotspurs’ Micky van de Ven, Manchester City’s Nathan Ake and Inter Milan’s Stefan de Vrij, Matthijs de Ligt has stiff competition to get into the national squad.
So far for their 2026 World Cup qualifiers, de Ligt was not selected for their first outings against Malta and Finland, sat on the bench as an unused substitute against Poland and made a one-minute cameo against Lithuania.
As such, de Ligt being left behind won’t be felt by the Dutch squad on the pitch, however it will certainly be felt by the man himself.
CLICK HERE TO JOIN THE CENTREDEVILS WHATSAPP GROUP CHAT NOW!