Nieuwe setback for Dutch misfortune: de Ligt's season delayed

Manchester United’s Dutch defender Matthijs de Ligt will miss the opening of the Premier League season, with the National reporting his return is now pushed to the autumn after back surgery, extending the absence of the Oranje‑pechvogel for the second time this campaign.

The National reported on Sunday that the 26‑year‑old de Ligt is unlikely to feature again until ‘somewhere in the autumn’. The club’s medical update pushed his comeback back further than the August window he had targeted.

United manager Michael Carrick had entered the new season hoping to call upon the former Bayern München, Juventus and Ajax defender. The delayed recovery means that plan will not materialise.

De Ligt’s last official appearance for the Red Devils came on 30 November 2025, after which a persistent back injury kept him out of action. In May he confirmed he had undergone back surgery, an operation that also ended his World Cup ambitions.

He remains under contract with Manchester United for three more seasons, but the Premier League campaign kicks off for the club on 22 August with an away fixture against promoted Hull City, meaning United will start the season without him.