Matthijs de Ligt was playing the best soccer of his Manchester United career. Then his back gave out, and he didn’t play a single minute for the rest of the season.
Now, more than a month after going under the knife, the 26-year-old center-back is working his way back. He’s currently in Ibiza, mixing rest with targeted rehab, according to reports. The word from those close to the situation is that his recovery is on track and he’s aiming to be ready for the early part of next season.
That’s the good news. But for anyone who watched De Ligt’s 2025-26 campaign go off a cliff, the real question is whether he can get back to that level.
From Player of the Month to watching from the stands
Before the injury, De Ligt was everything United hoped they were getting when they paid Bayern Munich £38.5 million. He played every minute of the club’s first 13 Premier League games. He bullied forwards. He read plays before they developed. He looked like a bargain, which is not something people say about United transfers very often.
He won the club’s Player of the Month award for November. That should have been a launching pad. Instead, it was the peak.
On November 30, during a 2-1 win over Crystal Palace, De Ligt hurt his back. United initially thought it would be a few weeks. It turned into months. The club and the player tried to avoid surgery, hoping rest and treatment would do the trick. By May, with no chance of making the Netherlands’ World Cup roster, they finally went the surgical route.
The Carrick factor
Here’s the thing about De Ligt’s situation that makes it different from a standard recovery timeline. He’s never actually played for Michael Carrick. The former United midfielder took over the head coaching job after De Ligt was already sidelined. So while Carrick has worked magic with a lot of the squad, De Ligt has been watching from a distance.
That changes now. Assuming the rehab stays on schedule, De Ligt will report for preseason ready to prove himself all over again to a new manager. And with Champions League football back at Old Trafford, United will need a fully fit, fully confident De Ligt alongside a resurgent Lisandro Martinez.
A lot can go wrong between now and August. Back injuries are tricky. Recovering from surgery is one thing. Getting back to playing at a Premier League level is another. But if De Ligt can pick up where he left off in November, United’s defense suddenly looks like one of the deeper units in the league.
That’s a big if, though. And everyone involved knows it.
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