Mathijs de Ligt is ‘still the future’ for Manchester United and the Netherlands.
That’s according to Rafael van der Vaart, via FC Update, who believes the centre-back is still the second-best option for his country next to Virgil van Dijk.
De Ligt has endured a slow start to life at Manchester United since joining in the summer transfer window from Bayern Munich.
He was handed an immediate starting place by Erik ten Hag but has had a rocky adaptation to life in the Premier League, with positive performances tempered by the occasional bad moment.
It’s been a similar case with the Netherlands, where he found himself being substituted at half time in the 2-2 draw with Germany in September. That led to criticism, particularly in the Netherlands, where they are often slightly dramatic in their praise and criticism.
Van der Vaart is refusing to add to that, though, and instead believes the defender still represents the future for his country.
“Few people will agree with what I am about to say, again because of the phase he is in now, but I am sure: Matthijs de Ligt is still potentially the very best defender to play in the Dutch team alongside Virgil van Dijk,” he said.
“Admittedly, he has not shown his potential for too long. He is sometimes too aggressive, but that is also his strength. But Stefan de Vrij is of course also an excellent centre-back, but I think De Ligt is stronger and more complete.
“De Ligt is 25 years old, he can still be important for three or four final tournaments. He has been playing at the top for years and he is still the future.”
