Matthijs de Ligt has been missing for Manchester United’s past 15 matches with a back injury.
The 2-1 win over Crystal Palace in late November was Matthijs de Ligt’s latest appearance for Manchester United before he headed to the treatment room.
Interim head coach Michael Carrick provided an update on De Ligt, revealing that he was behind Mason Mount in the road to recovery.
How worried are you about Matthijs de Ligt and Mason Mount’s injury battles?
Considering that De Ligt was United’s best defender in the early stages of the season, he has been a huge miss for the Red Devils.
Matthijs de Ligt recovery timeline and surgery decision
United fans have missed De Ligt, and this is certainly not his first lengthy injury during his time in Manchester.
But the good news is that the Dutch defender is closing in on a return.
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According to The Sun, De Ligt is targeting a return in early March. United face Crystal Palace on March 1st, which could be his first chance at competing for a spot in Carrick’s XI.
The report adds that De Ligt suffered a setback to his recovery in January just as he was nearing a return. But the 26-year-old has managed to avoid surgery and has been rehabilitating with staff at Carrington.
Matthijs de Ligt faces uphill 2026 World Cup challenge
De Ligt has been snubbed by the Netherlands national squad in recent months, with the defender failing to impress manager Ronald Koeman.
Eventually, De Ligt was back in the Dutch squad for November internationals, but there is fierce competition for places with the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Micky Van de Ven, Nathan Ake, Jan Paul van Hecke and Stefan de Vrij.
With the 2026 World Cup just around the corner, De Ligt ideally needs to be starting matches regularly for United.
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But with Lisandro Martinez and Harry Maguire in sensational form under Carrick, he may find it difficult to get back into the line-up.
If De Ligt wants to make the Netherlands squad for the World Cup, he is going to need to make a big impact over the final 12 matches of the season.
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