Matthijs de Ligt may not make his return from injury until Autumn.
Andy Mitten has revealed that the Manchester United defender is still recovering from the surgery that corrected his back problem in mid-May.
Matthijs de Ligt: The state of play
De Ligt’s 2025/2026 campaign was ended prematurely after he sustained the injury during an away win over Crystal Palace in November 2025.
He had started and played the full 90 minutes of each of United’s opening 13 Premier League fixtures prior to his layoff, so his absence came as a pretty substantial blow for Ruben Amorim to navigate at the time.
Matthijs de Ligt was dominant 💪 pic.twitter.com/nl452ejDny
— Premier League (@premierleague) November 11, 2025
Thankfully, it coincided with Lisandro Martinez returning from his own setback and Harry Maguire being fully fit.
Yet, it also meant that De Ligt could not feature under Michael Carrick throughout the manager’s stellar interim spell, which saw United claim emphatic wins over Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City.
As well as De Ligt: Fans sweating over Lisandro Martinez
The Reds kick off the new term away to newly promoted Hull City on August 22 in a 12.30pm kick-off, but De Ligt will have to watch on either from the stands or from his sofa like he has done for the last few months.
There were concerns over Lisandro Martinez’s condition after he was withdrawn in the early stages of Argentina’s World Cup final clash with Spain over a week ago.
Lisandro Martinez won 100% of his tackles and 100% of his aerial duels in the World Cup, as well as playing 5 passes into the final third.
Hopefully his injury isn’t too bad. 🤞 pic.twitter.com/XfLJkMpPyv
— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) July 19, 2026
Given he is one of United’s most injury-prone players, fans thought the worst when he hobbled off the field in evident discomfort during one of the most notable games of his career.
However, Mitten adds that club chiefs are satisfied that Martinez will be cleared to play in matchweek one.
He is currently on his holidays due to his hectic summer of non-stop action, but will report back to Carrington in the coming weeks to begin his preparations for the season ahead.
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