Rio Ferdinand has now conjured his own theory to explain why Matthijs de Ligt has been a long-term absentee for Manchester United in the 2025-26 campaign so far.
Matthijs de Ligt, a key Manchester United first-team centre-back, has not played a single minute of football in 2026 since his lower-back injury in 2025.
The 26-year-old Dutch centre-back last featured for Man Utd against Crystal Palace in the 2-1 Premier League comeback win at Selhurst Park last November.
De Ligt has been sidelined since United’s 2025 result over Crystal Palace and has missed 22 matches across all competitions due to his persistent injury issue.
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Rio Ferdinand on the cryptic nature around Matthijs de Ligt’s ongoing Man Utd injury concern
Michael Carrick has faced repeated questions around Matthijs de Ligt since his interim appointment, including whether the player might require surgery for his injury.
De Ligt has no official confirmed date for when he could return from the problems around his injury and has not been back in Manchester United first-team training.
The former Ajax and Bayern Munich defender has been reduced to 14 appearances across all competitions for Man Utd due to his 22-match absence for the Red Devils.
Rio Ferdinand, who was sidelined with multiple back injuries during his United spell, admitted that he could sense the “frustrations” that De Ligt must be experiencing.
Speaking on Rio Ferdinand Presents, he said: “Is it my back? Is it something to do with my glutes? Is it my upper back, my lower back? Is it my, like, it’s just crazy.
“So, the frustrations… if it’s similar to anything that I had that Matthijs de Ligt will be having, I can imagine it’s off the scale because what happens is you go into the training ground and everyone’s going, ‘What’s wrong? Are you right when you fit?’
“You can’t even give him a proper, solid answer. So, you’re sitting there and you’re flipping, like, you’re getting depressed because you’re hiding almost and you’re having to feel like you’re hiding and lying, which you ain’t.”
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Rio Ferdinand’s theory on what Matthijs de Ligt needs to do to overcome his back problem at Man Utd
According to Transfermarkt, Ferdinand missed 25 matches across United and England during the 2000s due to the back injuries that he had suffered.
De Ligt now faces the real possibility of missing out on a place in the Netherlands squad at the World Cup this summer due to his persistent injury problems.
United legend Ferdinand believes that the former Juventus defender must track down the “right person” to work with him to overcome a back-related issue.
“It’s just, I don’t know, the answer,” he continued.
“And it feels stupid to sit there and go when they go, ‘How is it?,’ and you go, ‘I don’t know.’
“It’s not an answer that you’re able to say in a training ground; like, we want some, like, where’s the end goal here [for] when you [are] back.
“We need to look at when you’re going to be playing and where there’s [sic] points on the ball to be won. What are we doing?
“So, it’ll be frustrating, and I just hope he can get to the bottom of it and he finds the right person [who] understands his body because everyone’s body is unique and they get to the bottom of it.”
The Red Devils are third in the Premier League table at the start of the March international break and will return to action in April against Leeds United now.
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