Manchester United boss, Michael Carrick, has recently admitted his uncertainty regarding the return of Matthijs de Ligt. The Dutch defender has been sidelined due to a back injury with no clear timeline for recovery.
De Ligt was a consistent figure in the team's defence, playing in the first 13 games of the season. However, he unexpectedly missed the home game against West Ham on 4 December. At that time, head coach Ruben Amorim downplayed his absence as a "small thing" and anticipated having him back for their match against Wolves four days later.
However, things didn't go as planned. De Ligt never played under Amorim again and is still recovering from his back injury. With him missing this weekend's game against Bournemouth, it means that by Manchester United’s next match against Leeds at Old Trafford on 13 April, De Ligt will have been out of action for more than four months.
Impact of his injury
Carrick refrained from speculating when asked if there was a possibility that De Ligt might not be able to play again for the remainder of the campaign. He acknowledged that due to the nature of such injuries it is impossible to put an exact timescale on his return.
Michael Carrick, Manchester United manager, said:
"It's difficult to say, just because it's taken that much time. With backs sometimes you think it's all right and all of a sudden it's not quite right. We're just being patient and working through it. We'll give him time and try to get him back as quickly as we can, but it's really difficult to say."
"I don't want to get into that at this stage. We'll try and do whatever we can to help and we're working through that now. I'm not trying to hide anything. He's improving. It's just not as quick as we all hope."
The uncertainty surrounding De Ligt’s recovery could potentially impact not only Manchester United but also Netherlands' squad in this summer's World Cup. It had been expected that he would be part of Ronald Koeman’s team after being picked by him during qualifying matches in September and November last year.
Future concerns
As hopes recede over De Ligt’s participation in upcoming games due to ongoing struggles with his back issue, there are concerns about whether surgery might be necessary - something Carrick chose not to comment on directly.
De Ligt, a former Ajax, Juventus and Bayern Munich player, is undoubtedly a significant asset to any team he plays for. His prolonged absence could potentially affect the performance of Manchester United in their upcoming matches.
De Ligt's uncertain return date poses challenges for both his club and national team. As fans eagerly await updates on his condition, it is clear that his recovery will be instrumental in shaping the future course of Manchester United's season as well as Netherlands' World Cup campaign.
