De Ligt was impressive against Arsenal.(Image: 2025 Manchester United FC)
Manchester United lost their opening Premier League game against Arsenal, but there were positives to take from the performance, including Matthijs de Ligt's solid display.
De Ligt, Leny Yoro and Luke Shaw limited Arsenal's chances throughout and were only denied a clean sheet due to an awful goalkeeping error from Altay Bayindir at a corner.
The back three's performance bodes well for the season and De Ligt, in particular, impressed as Arsenal attempted to create, winning eight duels, making six clearances, and winning five aerial duels.
Viktor Gyokeres, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli hardly had a sniff throughout the afternoon. De Ligt probably found Gyokeres on his kitchen table when he emptied his pockets when he returned home.
Former England manager Glenn Hoddle worked as a pundit for Premier League Productions on Sunday and said: “There is excitement over the players he’s brought in, and they looked good, but I thought De Ligt was excellent. It was probably his best game in a United shirt, with the ball and defending."
De Ligt was also outstanding when he played Arsenal at the Emirates in January, making important blocks and recovering from an improbable position to deny Leandro Trossard a tap-in.
And when the 26-year-old spoke in pre-season, it was interesting to hear him promise there was more to come in the new campaign
"Sometimes me and other football fans forget my age," he said. "And as a centre-back you’re normally in your prime at 28 or 29, so in that way, I’m still quite young. Personally, I’d love to carry on from how I was in March, April – I feel that is the level I could show and should show on a consistent basis.
"That’s my personal goal, and also to stay fit, that is really important. And then the goal with the team is to really show everybody what it is to play for United, and to get a positive vibe again around the team and the club."
De Ligt made a good return against Arsenal.
This season is important for De Ligt's future at Old Trafford. Jason Wilcox (director of football) will reportedly only make a solid assessment of a player after they have been afforded two seasons at United.
That would be a logical approach because new signings should be given a season to settle into their new surroundings.
De Ligt has spent 12 months in Manchester and his arrival coincided with the worst season at United for 51 years, so it was difficult for him to give the best account of himself.
The good news is De Ligt made an impressive start to the new campaign against Arsenal on Sunday. Long may his that continue because United must qualify for European competition this season.
Building a robust defensive foundation will be key to achieving that target, and centre-back is a strong area at United when Amorim's options are injury-free and available for selection.
De Ligt, Yoro, Shaw, Harry Maguire, Lisandro Martinez and Ayden Heaven are good options for the three starting positions. Shaw started on the left of the defence against Arsenal, but Martinez (currently recovering from a knee injury) and Heaven are also both best on that side.
Yoro has the right side nailed down and it feels like the central role is between De Ligt and Maguire.
Maguire might struggle to get back into the team if De Ligt consistently performs like he did against Arsenal.