Virgil van Dijk's damning assessment of Man United star proven right after recent struggles

Manchester United did not need Virgil van Dijk's warning about Matthijs de Ligt after a difficult start to his career at Old Trafford.

His recent performances has been subject of debate among pundits, with the likes of Paul Scholes and Jamie Carragher demanding improvement from the centre-back. Speaking during the 3-0 defeat to Tottenham last weekend, Carragher was left unimpressed by the Dutch.

He said: "United’s rest defence is awful, it always has been behind the ball when they lose possession. But where’s De Ligt? In every situation in that first half, two massive chances and the goal, De Ligt, a player they brought in for huge money, is completely out of position all the time."

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De Ligt's place in Ronald Koeman's starting XI is also under threat. He dropped a clanger during their 2-2 draw to Germany last month.

His error allowed Denis Undav to score and he was also at fault for Joshua Kimmich's goal. As a result, Koeman replaced De Ligt at the break, bringing in Brighton's Jan Paul van Hecke.

Speaking after the game, Van Dijk issued a simple message, saying: "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 meanwhile, explained why he felt compelled to take him off. "Of course I would rather have kept Matthijs de Ligt on the pitch," he said. "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."

"We talked about it briefly. That was focused on the go. He is not in a good position. He did not come out well with his steps. That was an individual bad moment from a defender.

"You have to learn from that but also not be too dramatic about it. Don’t put too much emphasis on it. He also had very good moments on the ball. That resulted in another big chance, when he played directly forward once. But it is clear that he also has to improve."

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