Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has demanded improvement from Matthijs de Ligt after he was “punished” for his Netherlands howler.
Brought in by Manchester United this summer, De Ligt endured a rotten international fortnight having been named in the Dutch squad for the Nations League.
He dropped a clanger during the Netherlands’ 5-2 win against Bosnia and Herzegovina at the weekend. However, the manager kept faith in him and he retained his place in the team against Germany.
Again, De Ligt failed to impress. His error allowed Denis Undav to score, while he was also at fault for Joshua Kimmich’s goal. That led to Koeman hauling De Ligt off at the break in favour of Brighton’s Jan Paul van Hecke.
Matthijs De Ligt looks dejected after conceding the team’s second goal during the match between Netherlands and Germany (Photo by Joris Verwijst/BSR Agency/Getty Images)
Speaking after the full-time whistle, Van Dijk made his feelings clear to the United man. The Liverpool star said: “This is football. You have to learn from this. It was one moment but at the highest level you will get punished for it.”
Koeman agreed with Van Dijk’s assessment of De Ligt’s mistake and he explained why he felt compelled to take him off at the break. “Of course, I would rather have kept Matthijs de Ligt on the pitch.
“It just looks like he is now in a period where all his mistakes are being punished. I gave him a new chance today, but eventually protected him by taking him off.”
Prior to the international break, De Ligt was involved in United’s 3-0 hammering against Liverpool in their own backyard.
De Ligt will be eager to get back to his best and help Manchester United build their confidence and prove he still has what it takes to play at the highest level.
