Manchester United have been handed another defensive injury worry after Matthijs de Ligt was spotted limping out of the City Ground on Tuesday night. The Dutchman turned his ankle shortly before half-time in the 1-0 defeat at Nottingham Forest, and although he went on to complete the game, he did not appear to be moving freely afterwards.
Manager Ruben Amorim is already filling up his back-three with a depleted group of defenders. Lisandro Martinez is a long-term absentee, Jonny Evans and Luke Shaw are still out, while teenage talent Ayden Heaven was stretchered off on his only Premier League start for the club.
De Ligt has been dependable as the anchor of United’s defensive trio in recent months. And Amorim will be desperate to call on him for the Manchester derby at Old Trafford on Sunday. But that may require the former Bayern Munich centre-back to recover quickly from his ankle soreness.
According to the Manchester Evening News, De Ligt told media gathered at the City Ground that he was ‘okay’ but he was still seen hobbling his way out of the stadium, in what will have been a concerning sight for Amorim.
Even though the 25-year-old has suggested that the knock is nothing serious, United need their key players to be 100 per cent ahead of a tough run.
After hosting Manchester City this weekend, United will travel to France for the first game of a two-legged Europa League quarter-final against Lyon. Sandwiched between those two matches is a tough trip to face newly-crowned Carabao Cup winners Newcastle.
De Ligt has featured in all bar two of United’s Premier League games since completing a £43million switch from Bayern last summer. Last month he was hailed by Amorim after helping his side to a 3-0 win at Leicester City.
“I think the last three weeks, Matthijs is doing incredible things,” the manager told MUTV. Going into the international break, he added: “I hope he doesn’t play a lot of games [for the national team] but plays a little bit, because he’s doing amazing.”
Amorim ended up getting his wish, as De Ligt only made one substitute appearance in the Netherlands’ last two games. National team boss Ronald Koeman favoured Virgil van Dijk and Jan Paul van Hecke as the starting centre-back partnership in a Nations League quarter-final which Spain won on penalties.
Content Source: www.express.co.uk