Manchester United defender Matthijs de Ligt has his priorities in the right place after being axed from the Netherlands squad.
A total of 18 Manchester United players were on international duty in October.
Ruben Amorim was relieved to see them all return to Carrington for training this week without any injuries or setbacks.
The first game back sees United travel to Anfield, where they will face a Liverpool side trying to defend the Premier League title. Arne Slot’s side has lost its last three matches across all competitions, and the Red Devils will be trying to take advantage of that.
While both teams had many players on international duty, nine United stars missed out on a call-up with their national teams.
That means several United players are at risk of missing out on a place at the 2026 World Cup. They have until the end of the current campaign to convince their national team managers to bring them.
Matthijs de Ligt focused on Man Utd after Netherlands snub
Ronald Koeman left Matthijs de Ligt out of his recent Netherlands squad.
De Ligt was not dropped because he’s lost his place at United. Instead, it’s quite the opposite.
The 26-year-old has been one of United’s best performers this season, but the results have yet to pick up, which is bound to have a knock-on effect for players involved.
Koeman admitted it wasn’t an easy decision, but that is not going to help De Ligt. The defender admits to being disappointed by the snub and stressed that his focus is on United.
“Obviously, when you’ve been there for almost 10 years now, it’s always a disappointment when you’re not selected,” De Ligt told The Telegraph.
“I think the only thing that’s important is to keep going like this. I think I’m in good form. Stay fit, I think that’s the most important thing, and at some point, the manager will also notice it and hopefully he can pick me.
“Does it make me more determined? What I want to say is the national team is a consequence of what happens at the club. It’s not the other way around. So, my focus is on Manchester United.”
Matthijs de Ligt leads by example
After playing for Ajax, Juventus and Bayern Munich in the past, De Ligt has become a model professional down the years.
De Ligt spoke about his responsibilities as a leader in the team, despite not wearing the captain’s armband.
He embraces the responsibility, adding: “I’m more like someone who would try to lead by example. Giving the right example to the players, to the younger guys, always try to be 100 per cent in training, outside of training.
“Be respectful to people, also. Try to be a good ambassador of the club. I think that’s something important. I just try to be myself. It’s difficult for me to analyse myself. How do you say it? With me, what you see is what you get.”
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