Man Utd fans are saying the exact same thing about Matthijs de Ligt vs Como after 11 months out
Matthijs de Ligt has returned to Manchester United's starting XI for their Champions League clash against Como - for his first competitive appearance of any kind in 11 months.
The Dutchman has been out of action with a serious back injury that required surgery, and had been named on the bench for each of United's last two fixtures.
But head coach Michael Carrick elected to throw him in at the deep end against Como in an attempt to bolster a backline that has looked anything but confident in recent weeks. And United fans have all come to the same conclusion after watching his first 45 minutes back in the side.
Man Utd fans reach immediate Matthijs de Ligt verdict
De Ligt's return to the United fold was marked by his side conceding inside just two minutes, with Nico Paz putting Cesc Fabregas' side ahead at the Giuseppe Sinigaglia Stadium.
But the Dutchman produced a fine clearance several minutes later to ease what surely would have been nerves ahead of his comeback.
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United had very little choice but to play De Ligt from the start against Como, with Lisandro Martinez injured, Ayden Heaven ill and Leny Yoro suspended. But that fact will not have gone unnoticed in the context of Martinez's explosive rant after last week's 2-0 defeat to Atletico Madrid, where he criticised United's lack of investment and a lack of squad depth.
"He could have fielded De Ligt in the league for him to gain his match fitness and confidence before a Champions League game," one fan wrote of Carrick.
"Starting De Ligt who's not had much game time with a slow Maguire is asking for trouble," another said.
While a third added: "Not exactly confident with De Ligt just being thrown into this game after just coming back from that lengthy injury. No even sub appearance before this game."
Michael Carrick addresses Matthijs de Ligt return
Speaking to TNT Sports, Carrick said that United's lack of defensive options necessitated De Ligt's return to the starting XI after 325 days out injured.
"First of all, it's fantastic to have Matthijs back," he said. "He's worked so hard for such a long period of time, and he's been training for a good number of weeks now. It's great to have him back on the pitch, for sure.
"They're a really good team and they've had a long spell of winning a lot of games. We want to look like a really good team; we've got to do certain things to do that. We want to build on Sunday, a little bit of the foundation from that, and control the game here. Coming away from home in Europe, you want to see the ball and try and control the game from that perspective.
"We've got a good team on the pitch tonight, a lot of experience, so looking forward to seeing the boys play."
Topics: Man Utd, Matthijs De Ligt, Champions League, Michael Carrick
Ryan Smart