Matthijs de Ligt made his long-awaited return to the Netherlands line-up against Lithuania and the Manchester United defender starred in a dominant victory.
In October, Ronald Koeman snubbed Matthijs de Ligt from the Netherlands squad despite his impressive start to the season with Manchester United.
The 26-year-old did not let it affect his performances, though, with De Ligt in the best form of his career at Old Trafford. Finally, Koeman reversed his decision and included Matthijs de Ligt in the November squad.
Are you excited for World Cup 2026 in the USA?
Earlier in the week, De Ligt was an unused substitute as the Netherlands drew 1-1 with Poland, but he finally made his return to the starting line-up against Lithuania.
De Ligt was near-flawless against Lithuania in a centre-back partnership with Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk.
Dutch media rave about Matthijs de Ligt performance
De Ligt helped the Netherlands to a 4-0 win over Lithuania on Monday evening, securing them a spot in the upcoming 2026 World Cup.
:flag-eu: Qualified European Nations (2026 FIFA World Cup)
| Country | Qualification Route |
|---|---|
| Croatia | Group L Winners |
| England | Group K Winners |
| France | Group D Winners |
| Germany | Group A Winners |
| Netherlands | Group G Winners |
| Norway | Group I Winners |
| Portugal | Group F Winners |
*Note: These teams qualified directly by winning their respective groups. The remaining spots will be determined by the final group matches and the play-off tournament in March 2026.
A clean sheet and a dominant performance is all Koeman could have asked for from the United star, and De Ligt delivered.
Dutch outlet Voetbal Primeur gave De Ligt a 7/10 rating for his performance – higher than his partner Van Dijk.
They added: “De Ligt is in top form at Manchester United and brought that positive feeling with him to the Dutch national team. He made a few good interceptions, although truly excelling against Lithuania is difficult for such a defender.”
A separate Voetbal Primeur article sent a clear message to Koeman, questioning the coach about how he will get De Ligt into the World Cup squad.
“Many pieces of the puzzle are falling into place, but besides midfield, Koeman still has a few positions to sort out. Matthijs de Ligt also made a fine impression in central defence.”
Voetbalzone also rated De Ligt higher than Van Dijk, awarding him a 7.5/10 rating – the highest of any Dutch defender.
Matthijs de Ligt is proving Ronald Koeman wrong
Koeman explained why De Ligt was ignored in recent international breaks, and he put it down to his impressive depth in defence.
The Netherlands do have a stacked defensive department, with Micky van de Ven, Jurrien Timber and Nathan Ake all competing with Van Dijk and De Ligt.
But De Ligt has been United’s best defender and arguably one of the best in the Premier League this season. There can also be no doubts about his fitness or availability because he is the only player to have played every single minute of United’s 25/26 Premier League campaign.
De Ligt was determined to return to the national team, and he deserves nothing less after an incredible start to the season.
With the World Cup around the corner, he is quickly climbing Koeman’s pecking order for a potential starting spot.
Receive a digest of our best United content each week direct to your mailbox
