Matthijs de Ligt showed his true class during one key moment during Manchester United’s win over Brighton, despite two evident signs of weakness emerging.
The 26-year-old Dutchman was deployed centrally in Ruben Amorim’s tactical system and Matthijs de Ligt saw out the full 90 minutes in the backline.
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De Ligt was far from his best in the three-man set-up, with Leny Yoro deployed out on his right and Luke Shaw stationed on the left in the Red Devils’ defence.
However, the Netherlands defender’s influence is integral to Ruben Amorim at the Premier League club and De Ligt is the perfect profile fit for the Red Devils boss.
De Ligt, who has made 10 appearances for Manchester United this season, showed that he was in his complete element for the Red Devils when he was called into action.
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Matthijs de Ligt during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Brighton and Hove Albion at Old Trafford in 2025 in Manchester, England.
Photo by Shaun Brooks – CameraSport via Getty Images
Matthijs de Ligt’s stunning tackle shows one thing that Ruben Amorim must address for Man Utd
Yankuba Minteh played Mats Wieffer through with a quick throw-in and caught out Diogo Dalot, with the Manchester United defender forced to scramble back.
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However, Diogo Dalot benefited from the presence of Matthijs de Ligt, who showed incredible speed and awareness to pick up Mats Wieffer and intercept the player.
Matthijs de Ligt produced a stunning tackle to win the ball before hoofing it up the pitch for a clearance, with Dalot being rescued from a red-faced moment.
De Ligt’s world-class defending against Wieffer only reinforced the issue of United manager Ruben Amorim playing Dalot as an inverted left-back on Saturday.
Dalot was lacklustre with his overall display and the 26-year-old Portuguese full-back left much to be desired with United’s influence from the left flank against Brighton.
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Matthijs de Ligt’s presence on the left flank of defence highlights that Lisandro Martinez’s influence is being missed
Luke Shaw did impress in United’s 4-2 win over Brighton, including pushing forward in midfield to support the pivot of Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro at Old Trafford.
But the 30-year-old England star does not offer the same aura and commanding presence as the injured Lisandro Martinez does in the left-sided centre-back role.
Amorim provided an update on Lisandro Martinez ahead of the Brighton match and the Red Devils are still waiting for the first-team return of the Argentine defender.
The 27-year-old United centre-back has been sidelined since the 2024-25 Premier League campaign, but Martinez has been working hard to make his full return.
De Ligt’s stunning last-ditch tackle in United’s Premier League match against Brighton was only a reminder of how much Martinez’s influence is missed.