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'The whole culture'- Matthijs de Ligt opens up on the changes Ruben Amorim is making at Man United

Matthijs de Ligt sat down in Hong Kong to unpack Man United's season and look ahead to the future.

De Ligt in Hong Kong

De Ligt in Hong Kong(Image: Samuel Luckhurst)

In one of the locker rooms of the Hong Kong National Stadium, Matthijs de Ligt held court with the four English journalists who travelled on Manchester United's post-season tour.

After the 15-minute chat, De Ligt told the United press officer that he was in his element. He used to conduct weekly hour-long interviews as Ajax captain. What is cathartic for one player is routine for a Dutch footballer.

De Ligt started in two of United's 14 final matches of the season after sustaining separate injuries in the Premier League defeats at Nottingham Forest and Brentford a month apart. The latter, a knee injury, prevented him from appearing in the Europa League final.

The 25-year-old travelled to Bilbao, donned United's Paul Smith final suit and was one of a handful of players to stride out onto the San Mames pitch. Despite his final weeks of the campaign being a write-off, De Ligt still travelled to Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong for United's post-season tour.

He has conducted individual training sessions as he continues his recovery to be ready for the start of pre-season training in July.

After an eventful first campaign with United, De Ligt sat down to speak at length about the post-season tour, United's annus horribilis, his relationship with Ruben Amorim and why football is becoming a turn-off.

How's your injury at the moment?

De Ligt: "Yeah, it's going better. It's still not over yet obviously, otherwise I would be on the pitch yesterday. But yeah, it's getting a little bit better. There's some things that have to... it's not one thing, it's multiple things that have to come together. So I think it's good that the season almost ends and hopefully soon I can be back on the pitch and for pre-season back fit.

You got injured in the Forest game. Was it a recurrence or a different injury?

"No, it was the Forest game, the Brentford game. It’s all... The body is not just one thing and it's all together."

How is it being offered over here in this environment?

"Yeah, I mean I wouldn't say it's ideal, obviously, but it's the way it is. It's for the players to accept the things how they are. Also here I can do the job. The facilities are really good. The physios are here with us, so I'm not complaining about that."

What will you do when you go home? Do you keep going to Carrington for treatment or will you go back to Holland? How will that work?

"Yeah, that's still something we have to discuss. Obviously it has been a really long season and the last one-and-a-half month I didn't play, but still I think everybody needs a holiday. But as I said, I think tomorrow, two days from now, we go back to Carrington and then we'll discuss what's the best plan."

I was surprised when I put your age in, how young you are. Because I always think how young you were when you captained Ajax to that Champions League semi-final. It's almost kind of, not defining for your career, but it's a big focus point on your career. When we were saying that obviously next season Manchester United are not going to have European football and that will be the first time, I would imagine in your career that you've not experienced that?

"Well, I experienced it once. It was actually also after a Europa League final against United (in 2017), and the season after we reached the semi-final of the Champions League. So, let's keep that! On a serious note, I've been used to playing in the Champions League for my whole career, more or less. This season was the Europa League, but it was also really, really nice and obviously we reached the final and unfortunately we couldn't win it. Next season will be different with less games. I think more time to prepare for the games, so hopefully we can get the benefits from that."

A 17-year-old De Ligt is consoled by Paul Pogba after the 2017 Europa League final

A 17-year-old De Ligt is consoled by Paul Pogba after the 2017 Europa League final

How much does that extra time help? Because Ruben's talked about it quite a lot. He came in November when the schedule was really packed. But looking forward to next year, three midweeks, that's more time out on the grass, isn't it?

"Yeah, I think obviously every player wants to play as many games as possible. So, it will be different. But I think for the manager, as you said, there's more time to train, more time also to have an intensive tactical session, because obviously you can still train tactical if you play a lot of games but you cannot put the intensity in because you're playing every two days a game. So, I think in that way, as the manager said, it could be an advantage and hopefully we can exploit that."

Will you be watching the Champions League? Do you watch a lot of football or will it just be kind of you switch off from it?

"Well, I watched a lot of football when I was younger. The last years I lived it less because I have been busy and the football is changing a bit. But the big games I still watch, I still like, I still watch."

Do you think football is becoming less exciting? There was a quote from Bielsa that it's becoming more of a business than a sport...

"Yeah, just speaking from my point of view, obviously I'm now 25. So, obviously everything that is from the past, I make it nicer than it was. But for me, football before was more interesting to watch. I think now it's what you said, it's a little bit more business, it's a little bit more about results and maybe the flair or the crazy actions where people are going for the statement becomes less and less. So I think that's the development now of football and let's see how it goes, if it stays or if it's changing. I don't know."

When you signed for United, it felt like it was a long time coming because I'm sure you remember playing in Edwin van der Sar's testimonial against Manchester United's junior side and Jose Mourinho seemed to be really interested in you as well. One of the heads of the academy a few years ago also said that he really wanted to bring you to United. Do you remember any of those conversations when you were younger at all of United's interest?

"To be fair, before that summer I never really have spoken to United. I knew that in the summer I went to Juventus (in 2019), that United had a kind of interest, but I think they went for 'H' (Harry Maguire). So for me at that stage, the Premier League was a maybe, I said it also on interview, the Premier League is the biggest league in the world, the quickest league in the world and I felt at that point I was ready, but for my development it could have been better to go to another league a step above, but not the highest. It was never really an option for me, but that summer it was for the first time really an option."

Can you tell me, there's been a lot of talk this season because it's not been a great season, about the pressure of playing for Manchester United and the weight of the shirt, which we tend to talk more about England, but it is a kind of factor with United. You've played for some of the biggest clubs, clearly Ajax are enormous in Holland, Bayern in Germany, Juventus in Italy. Is there a difference in pressure or is it just because you haven't won enough matches?

"I think it's the last [thing] as, what you said, the pressure is all the same. You need to win. I've been at Ajax, my first team, and there were moments where we were not playing good and they were also cynical. They were saying we scored, let's say we were 3-0 behind in the last minute, we scored 3-1, so we're still losing and they said 10, 10, 10, sarcastic. I'm used to that kind of thing.

"But I think the biggest difference right now is that this season was such below expectations that the pressure feels much more on you, especially because you don't get much joy because you don't win many games. It feels even more and more and more. I think that's what a lot of players are experiencing this season. As you can see, it also can change real quick, like you saw in the Europa League, how the emotions were also with the players and together with the fans. That's something that I think can be really tough, but it can also be amazing. I think hopefully next season we can make it amazing."

De Ligt missed the run-in through injury

De Ligt missed the run-in through injury

What do you think has got to change next season specifically, not to be another below-par performance?

"I think what I'm experiencing now is what I like to see and that is what the manager is doing right now. I'm not speaking into details, but I have a feeling he's really looking at the spots. I'm not speaking about players only, but also about the whole culture and the way we are working at the club. I think he's really into details. Before signing new players, before signing new things, he's first looking at what is the culture, what needs to change, what can improve to become a better football club. I think from next season we will see more of that."

How is he communicating that to you, or is it just something you've noticed yourself?

"I've got a really good relationship with him, to be fair. He's really open also with me, so it's really nice to speak with him. Obviously, I've experienced many managers. He's one of the managers who is the most easy to talk to as a player. In the same way, you can also see what he's doing, what he wants to do with the team. I think he wants to build a team of players who are together, especially, fighting for each other and making the most out of what they have.

"Maybe like before, you were united with the best players, but you're not a team. I think that's something that's really positive. Hopefully, next season, from the pre-season, we can work really strong on that because we have a lot of time."

De Ligt likes what he sees from Amorim

De Ligt likes what he sees from Amorim

Do you think that's why he is so harsh with his words sometimes? Last night (Wednesday), the friendly crowd booed at the end. Does that work for you? Could it be too much sometimes?

"I'm from Holland so I like it! I can understand that for the media, they're in shock because they're like, normally this doesn't happen. But I think you can also, as a media, be really happy that finally someone speaks out and speaks out what he thinks and speaks the truth instead of going around and stuff like that. I really appreciate him in our conversations personally, how we speak. That gives me a feeling that I can trust him and he can trust me."

How has it been with the back three/back two switch? I don't know how much you played that in your career previously. You must have done. What's that been like, that sort of progression and how can it be better next season? Because it feels like that's essential to having the formation be an attacking one rather than a back five almost.

"I think it's a discussion that comes up a lot, obviously. It's always like, oh, three in the back, four in the back. I think if you really analyse our games, it's not that static. It's in a way that we are always defending in a three, always in a four. I think in the build-up, all the European teams, the big European teams play with a three in the back. They switch the midfielder in the back or a full-back who comes back. So it's always in a three.

"But then maybe the difference is that sometimes, how do you... what kind of players do you put in certain positions? How do you want to play? You can play with five in the back or you can play with three in the back. It's completely different. I think that's something that we will see maybe a little bit more from us next season. Hopefully we can give also the fans a little bit more joy also in the way of playing and also, especially ourselves also, in showing what we can do."

De Ligt and Yoro were United's latest central defensive signings last year

De Ligt and Yoro were United's latest central defensive signings last year

For you in particular, having played for Erik at Ajax, was it a drastic difference for you going from playing under him and then changing to Ruben?

"Well, I've experienced a lot of managers in my career already. So I think I can say that I adapted quite well to the new manager. Obviously for me, the position, it changes but it's not that much. It's more like right centre back with Erik or it's like right centre back in the middle of a three. Obviously it's a difference but it's manageable. So yeah, obviously when you have a new manager, it's always finding out how he works, what he wants and as I said, we have a good relationship. so it was quite easy for me.: So yeah, it was okay. It was nice."

So how important, given you lost the final and what happens this season, how important is it to make a good start? Because you talk about pressure, you can really do without that or coming back on you straight away next season?

"Yeah, but that's for every club. I mean, every club it's important to start well, to start strong. As we said, we have a really long pre-season now to prepare us for the new league. So yeah, that will be really important and obviously, especially after this season, it's also for us, I think an obligation to defend."

De Ligt celebrates scoring his first United goal at Southampton

De Ligt celebrates scoring his first United goal at Southampton

I saw you singing with gusto the 'Glory Glory Man United' song. But you seem to take that responsibility seriously at that level, having been a captain at such a young age. What do you put into that? What kind of value do you think that gives players that connection with the fans?

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"No, obviously really important. I mean, we know we had a difficult season this season. so from the outside it's really easy to say, oh, what are they doing now? They go on the bus and stuff like that. But you obviously have to deal also with millions of fans in Asia who are probably also for the club really important, for us as players also really important and obviously don't see us as often as the people from Manchester or from England. So that's why these trips are so important for us and for them. It's so valuable because it really gives you a connection for us to see how they view us but also for them to see us close. So I think even if it's after a season like this, it's not the easiest trip but it's so nice for us to show our love also to the fans. So yeah, it's good.

And the next open-top bus parade (after his appearance on one in Kuala Lumpur) will be with a trophy?

"Yeah, that would be nice!"

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