The “like a new signing” cliche will be true for Matthijs de Ligt next season at Man Utd as his latest injury update emerges.
An injury saga that started with a “minor setback” in 2025 has snowballed into a nearly ten-month absence for Matthijs de Ligt.
The Dutchman was well on his way to playing at the World Cup, so good was his form, before a freak back injury derailed everything, and he didn’t play again last season.
Here’s the latest Matthijs de Ligt injury update and return timeline as Man Utd ramp up pre-season prep.
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Matthijs de Ligt injury update
The gap between the end of the last season and the beginning of this one was marked as the perfect period for De Ligt to return to action.
He’s already had a successful surgery on his back, and playing the pre-season with the Man Utd squad would have been ideal preparation for him.
Unfortunately, The Daily Mail reports that De Ligt will miss the start of this season as well, although it’s not yet clear whether that means pre-season or competitive action.
Since there have been no encouraging updates on his return, it can be assumed that he’ll definitely miss the first few games of pre-season, but if he’s not ready by late August, when United start their Premier League campaign, that is worrying.
United have been extremely cautious with De Ligt, and it makes sense because back injuries are risky, but by September, De Ligt’s absence will have reached ACL injury extent.
At that point, it’s impossible to ascertain if he will even be the same player as he was before the injury, which is a huge risk.
Right now, it’s simply a case of wait and watch, and hope that De Ligt can recapture his pre-injury form. Otherwise, he will become a big case of “what if” at Old Trafford.
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