Mathijs de Ligt has insisted Erik ten Hag is not showing any signs of pressure, despite Manchester United’s poor start to the season.
The defender has been speaking to Viaplay, relayed by Voetbal Primeur, about life at Manchester United and their current struggles.
De Ligt was one of several new faces to arrive at Old Trafford this summer, joining from Bayern Munich in a €45m deal.
He has been immediately thrown in to the deep end by Ten Hag, who has partnered him alongside Lisandro Martinez and quickly established him as the replacement for Harry Maguire.
He’s yet to be fully rewarded for that faith as De Ligt has had something of a rough start to life in the Premier League, although there have been moments to offer encouragement.
His latest display was not one of them, though, as he and the rest of the Manchester United were beaten comfortably by Tottenham at Old Trafford.
That was Manchester United’s third loss in six games in the Premier League this season, leaving them 13th in the table and closer to the relegation zone than Europe or the top of the table.
The pressure is firmly on Ten Hag, who was backed by the new ownership in the summer, to turn it around but De Ligt insists he is not showing any signs of feeling it.
“I don’t necessarily notice that,” he said.
“I notice that he just remains calm. That he still keeps doing the same things. That he can still motivate the players.
“Football is also just a special sport. Things can go your way and then out of nowhere things go wrong. Unfortunately, things often go wrong for us at the moment. Against Tottenham too, yes, we are 1-0 behind, but we have also our chances to score the equalizer.
“In large parts the approach is the same. However, Ajax’s resistance in the Eredivisie is of course very different than here in the Premier League. A lot more is simply asked of you as a team. Almost every team here has a coach who has a certain level.”
