Ruben Amorim has successfully identified a missing puzzle piece for Matthijs de Ligt at Manchester United after admitting that he watched him back in his Ajax days.
Matthijs de Ligt has impressed for Manchester United after the ex-Bayern Munich star was reunited with former Ajax manager Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford in 2024.
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United signed both the 26-year-old Dutchman and former Ajax ace Noussair Mazraoui from German side Bayern Munich in a transfer deal worth nearly £60m.
Erik ten Hag might have been sacked by the Premier League club in 2024, but De Ligt’s vital influence in the United first-team squad has not waned since then.
De Ligt has only continued to become a key player for Ruben Amorim at Old Trafford and a linchpin figure in the United manager’s three-man backline in his system.
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Matthijs de Ligt celebrates during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in 2025 in London, England.
Photo by Charlotte Wilson/Offside/Offside via Getty Images
Ruben Amorim on Matthijs de Ligt at Ajax and what the Netherlands defender needs to show at Man Utd
Matthijs de Ligt has shown consistency and been a reliable defensive option for Manchester United since the ex-Ajax captain’s arrival at the Premier League club.
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The Netherlands international had a major impact ahead of the November break after De Ligt scored a superb equaliser in United’s 2-2 draw against Tottenham.
De Ligt has started and played in all 11 of the Red Devils’ Premier League matches in the 2025-26 campaign so far under manager Ruben Amorim at Old Trafford.
Amorim insisted that a missing component from De Ligt’s playing style since his Ajax days is the Dutch centre-back’s ability to control matches when he is on the ball.
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Speaking to Stadium Astro, he said: “He is doing really well. I think he can play so much better with the ball.
“He needs to regain that confidence. I remember seeing him playing for Ajax when he started his career.
“He needs to return a little bit back to that part of being confident to be that guy who demands to control the tempo of the game.
“I think it is something he can improve. But the way he is defending, transmitting strength to the team, intensity to the team, it’s something I’m really pleased with.
“But I think he can be so much better.”
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Matthijs de Ligt must answer Ruben Amorim by showing a Man Utd strength missing with Lisandro Martinez’s absence
Lisandro Martinez is inching closer to his hotly anticipated return for the Red Devils and the 27-year-old Argentine defender’s absence from the first team has been felt.
A commanding and calm figure in the United backline, the 2022 World Cup winner’s knee injury has left the Red Devils without a key defensive figure on the ball.
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Lisandro Martinez has oozed confidence on the ball even during the Erik ten Hag era at United, not to mention his effectiveness with line-breaking passes on the pitch.
De Ligt impressed under Ten Hag at Ajax and the former Juventus and Bayern Munich player still remains an elite defender and appears sharp as ever at United.
However, United fans would no doubt welcome it if De Ligt can do exactly what Amorim saw during his Ajax days by regaining his superb confidence on the ball.