Matthijs de Ligt Injury: Progress, Potential Return Date for Forgotten Man Utd Man

De Ligt’s mysterious absence has been hanging over the second half of Manchester United’s season.

Matthijs de Ligt has become Man Utd’s forgotten man. | James Gill-Danehouse/Getty Images

Matthijs de Ligt broke his long silence on a mysterious back injury for Manchester United, revealing that he has “done everything” to return to action before succumbing to season-ending surgery.

De Ligt has not featured for Manchester United since November. During the intervening six months, the club have sacked Ruben Amorim, dispensed with interim Darren Fletcher and appear to be closing in on permanently appointing Michael Carrick. The minimal amount of public utterances from any of United’s coaches has shrouded De Ligt’s rehabilitation in uncertainty, while the player himself has offered little in the way of public statements.

With just two games of the 2025–26 season remaining, it was announced by Manchester United that De Ligt had undergone “successful” surgery on a back issue which has dogged him for half a year.

“Since November I have done everything, pushing myself in every session and exploring every option, to get back to doing what I love, playing football,” De Ligt told the club’s official website.

“I am grateful to everyone who has supported me throughout a difficult period in my career. I remain as determined as ever to represent Manchester United and play in front of our incredible supporters as soon as possible.”

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What Injury Does Matthijs de Ligt Have?

De Ligt has been dealing with a back injury for the first time as a senior professional. The Dutch defender has previously been ailed by foot, knee, calf, groin, shoulder, ankle and thigh problems, as well as the common cold, during a career pockmarked by fitness issues. But his back had always held up.

That emphatically changed just when De Ligt was enjoying some of his best form. The towering center back played every minute of United’s first 13 Premier League fixtures of the season, chiseling out a spot for himself on the right-hand side of Amorim’s favored back-three.

After being voted Manchester United’s player of the month for November, De Ligt warned: “Hopefully I can continue like this and, in the end, it’s all about the end of the season.” Little did he know, that would be the end of his season.

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When Could Matthijs de Ligt Return From Injury?

Matthijs de Ligt will miss the World Cup. | Ash Donelon/Manchester United/Getty Images

At the end of April, De Ligt was pictured back in individual training for Manchester United with some faint hope of a belated return to action before the club campaign’s conclusion, affording him time to properly prepare for the 2026 World Cup. Those plans have been scuppered by surgery, with the Netherlands international confirming that he will sit out the summer tournament in North America.

The club statement announcing De Ligt’s surgery claimed that the defender is “expected to return for United in the early stages of the 2026–27 season.”

This will at least ensure that De Ligt has started every season of his senior career with a different manager compared to the year before.

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De Ligt’s Managerial Curse

Season	Club	Manager at Season Start
2016–17	Ajax	Peter Bosz
2017–18	Ajax	Marcel Keizer
2018–19	Ajax	Erik ten Hag
2019–20	Juventus	Maurizio Sarri
2020–21	Juventus	Andrea Pirlo
2021–22	Juventus	Massimiliano Allegri
2022–23	Bayern Munich	Julian Nagelsmann
2023–24	Bayern Munich	Thomas Tuchel
2024–25	Man Utd	Erik ten Hag
2025–26	Man Utd	Ruben Amorim

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This news could also inform Manchester United’s summer transfer policy. The Red Devils have already extended Harry Maguire’s contract for another year to keep their defensive reserves intact and the impending return of De Ligt could further convince the club’s recruitment team to prioritize other areas of the pitch for investment.

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