Matthijs de Ligt brutally mocked after Erik ten Hag Manchester United explanation

Manchester United defender Matthijs de Ligt has been criticised for being 'too muscular' and 'clunky' following his £42million move from Bayern Munich.

The Dutch centre-back, who was expected to make a significant impact at Old Trafford, has faced challenges adapting to the Premier League. After being involved in two goals conceded against Porto in the Europa League, De Ligt found himself benched for United's match against Aston Villa, although he was called upon to replace an injured Harry Maguire during the game.

Former Premier League winner Chris Sutton commented on De Ligt's physical condition on the It's All Kicking Off podcast. He said: [He's] been in the gym too much. I mean, most people need to get in the gym. When he was at Ajax and he came to the fore, not only was he strong, but he was agile, he was mobile. He just looks clunky, doesn't he?"

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Despite the setback, United manager Erik ten Hag downplayed the significance of De Ligt's omission from the starting line-up against Villa, attributing it to squad rotation and commending his player's performance after coming on.

The former Ajax boss defended his decision to rotate the squad, citing the need for freshness given their packed schedule. "We have loads of games. We have to rotate the team, the freshness, and I think it was a good decision today. I think the performances from Harry Maguire and Jonny Evans, they were very solid. But, also, I think Matthijs de Ligt came in at half-time and was very solid," he explained.

"Of course, you take everything into consideration, but [there were] more reasons. And Jonny Evans, I didn't know if he could come to an end and I [would] have to sub again. So, yeah, [it's] always [about] consideration. One for one, for me, was the best idea."

He added: "This is our fourth clean sheet of this season and that tells something about the control we have in and out of possession, we are organised very well. In many games so far we create loads of chances."

The United defender's positioning and effectiveness have not escaped criticism, with Liverpool icon Jamie Carragher recently anaylysing de Ligt's approach, particularly in the defeat to Tottenham. "I've noticed this with De Ligt and a lot of centre-backs, I don't understand why they don't fill the space and come over. The striker just behind him has got nothing to do with him, that is Martinez's job," Carragher said on Sky Sports.

"It comes from his starting position. I can talk about United's midfield, running at the back four. But where's De Ligt? The right-back's come up and look where De Ligt is. You've got to get over. So in every situation in the first-half, De Ligt, a player they brought in for huge money, is completely out of position."

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