Matthijs de Ligt is finally back on site at Carrington. The Dutch center-back has been working through an individual recovery program since his return, according to the Manchester Evening News, after undergoing back surgery back in May. But here’s the thing — he still hasn’t joined the main group for preseason training.
De Ligt wasn’t spotted with the senior players who reported back to United’s complex on Thursday. That’s not a surprise given where he’s at physically. The club has him on a tailored rehab plan, and he’d been doing some fitness work abroad over the summer before coming back to Carrington to continue that process. So he’s moving in the right direction, just slowly.
Confidence inside the club — but no timeline yet
According to the same report, there’s genuine optimism at United that de Ligt’s back problem is behind him after the surgery. The Manchester Evening News put it pretty directly: there is confidence that his back issue is behind him now. That’s meaningful because the situation wasn’t looking great a few months ago.
De Ligt missed the entire second half of the 2025-26 season. The back issue got worse until surgery was unavoidable. It also cost him a spot at the 2026 World Cup. Once the operation was set for May, a Netherlands call-up was never realistic.
The weird part? De Ligt still hasn’t played a single minute under Michael Carrick. Not one. So this recovery isn’t just about getting healthy. It’s essentially his debut under a new manager who’s still figuring out his best defensive setup.
When could he actually play?
The next real checkpoint will be when de Ligt moves from solo work into full team training. That’s the sign that a competitive return is getting close. But it’s hard to see him involved in the opening weeks of the 2026-27 season given how slowly this recovery has gone. The club’s confidence is a positive, but it’s not a timeline.
Here’s where it gets concerning for United. Lisandro Martinez, Luke Shaw, and Harry Maguire all have significant injury histories. And according to the MEN, United’s entire transfer focus this summer is on reinforcing the midfield. No new defenders are planned despite those obvious vulnerabilities at the back.
So if another defender goes down before de Ligt is ready, Carrick could be in real trouble. United’s center-back options aren’t deep enough to absorb that kind of hit right now.
For now, de Ligt being at Carrington at all — even in a limited, individual role — is the first concrete sign that things are heading in the right direction after how last season ended. It’s not much, but it’s something.
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