Matthijs de Ligt explains the pressure at every club he’s played for, including key difference between Man Utd and Ajax

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It hasn’t been a happy first season for Matthijs de Ligt at Manchester United.

After Manchester United’s 1-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, the Reds are currently positioned 15^th in the Premier League after playing 25 matches.

Ruben Amorim has had a rocky start at Old Trafford and now has to deal with a crippling injury crisis, with stars such as Amad Diallo and Kobbie Mainoo ruled out for the foreseeable future.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
13	Crystal PalaceCrystal Palace	25	7	9	9	29	32	-3	30
14	EvertonEverton	25	7	9	9	27	31	-4	30
15	Man UtdManchester United	25	8	5	12	28	35	-7	29
16	West HamWest Ham	25	7	6	12	29	47	-18	27
17	WolvesWolves	25	5	4	16	35	54	-19	19

Manchester United suffered again at the weekend, but a quick turnaround is required to avoid a complete disaster of a season. Next up is Everton, who have improved since bringing back David Moyes to replace Sean Dyche.

Unfortunately for United, there has been no new manager bounce, but the players are trying to stay positive.

Matthis de Ligt experiencing worldwide pressure at Manchester United

It’s clear with everything going on at United that patience will be required with newly appointed United head coach Amorim, as well as the club’s latest signings.

De Ligt has come into a struggling defence, but his experience will be crucial in the future, having played for four major European clubs at the age of 25.

Young defenders such as Ayden Heaven and Patrick Dorgu will lean on experienced professionals like De Ligt for advice, so that is where the Dutch centre-back can really leave a mark on this United side.

The Netherlands international started his career at Ajax before moving to Juventus and Bayern Munich. Then, last summer, he finally moved to United after years of speculation.

De Ligt has now compared the pressure he has experienced while playing for some huge clubs in his career.

This level of pressure stands De Ligt in good stead because it means he is used to heavily pressured environments.

However, De Ligt states that the pressure he experiences at United is ‘worldwide’ and, therefore, somewhat superior to the clubs he has represented in the past.

Speaking to Sky Sports, De Ligt said: “I think I have been lucky to play for probably the four biggest clubs in every country. In every club the pressure is the same.

“The pressure is high, you have to win. At Ajax, if you don’t win, the supporters are angry outside the stadium. When we came back from a loss away they were really angry at us and we had to get off the bus. That’s also happening in Holland.

“At Juventus, the Italians are really passionate about football so you can be an absolute hero or an absolute, yeah…

“The only difference between Ajax and Manchester United, it’s more worldwide. I think United has such a big fan base.

“You can feel it nowadays with social media, it’s a really big difference. I think before the players couldn’t really feel this difference because social media was not big.”

The best players in the world can deal with heavily pressured environments and De Ligt has shown glimpses this season that he can be a top defender for United.

Poor results are derailing De Ligt

Reacting to another defeat at the weekend, De Ligt admitted that poor results are having a negative impact on the squad’s confidence.

De Ligt told Sky Sports after the match: “I think you can say [it] has taken a real hit. Especially in the Premier League, if you lose the confidence you lose the game.

“We still had a starting XI with first-team players. It’s no excuse. It’s not nice when you lose five players in one week, but that’s part of football, part of life.

“I believe you have to deserve fortune. At the moment, apparently we don’t deserve it. I don’t believe in fortune coming out of nowhere.”

If United don’t turn things around this weekend against Everton, they risk slipping further down the league table and closer to the relegation zone.