De Ligt has sat out of United’s last 12 games (Picture: Getty/Metro)As Manchester United enter a crucial phase of the season, the persistent absence of Matthijs de Ligt is a growing concern. After missing the following game against West Ham United, Ruben Amorim optimistically predicted: ‘For Matta, it is a small thing. A week later, ahead of a game against Bournemouth, Amorim revealed it was a back issue causing problems for his centre-half. ‘We don’t know what this one is, we don’t know if it is a muscular issue, a neural issue or an articular (joint) issue. ‘More rest between games gives them the opportunity to manage those issues, depending on what it is,’ Smith said.

Source: Metro February 05, 2026 18:05 UTC