In the match against Arsenal last weekend, Matthijs de Ligt had a very notable defensive situation. In an Arsenal attack, Martin Odegaard tried to convert a pass into an open space for Gabriel Martinelli, causing De Ligt to stumble while marking.
However, in that seemingly awkward moment, the Dutch midfielder showed the right defensive philosophy Ruben Amorim wanted in Man United's central defenders, which was the desire to block from the opponent's half, the intelligence in blocking the space in the middle, not allowing Odegaard to easily launch a pass to Martinelli or Saka.
Former centre-back Phil Jones once commented: He has played for very big clubs, alongside his top teammates. De Ligt's experience in defense is invaluable."
Meanwhile, Wes Brown added: I like the way he plays. First of all, it is a strong body, never giving up. De Ligt is the type of center back who is ready to rush into fierce tackles, just to ensure the team does not concede. I think Amorim will see De Ligt as a priority in defence.
In the opening match of the season, Amorim deployed De Ligt to play as a 3-man central defender, with Luke Shaw on the left and Leny Yoro on the right. Under pressure from Viktor Gyokeres, the Dutch midfielder remained strong, contributing both in defence and deployment.
As Man United moved from 3-4-3 to 4-4-2 to defend, De Ligt became the leader of the lower division. When M.U took the ball with a 4-3-3 system, he was the key central defender, pushing up to distribute the ball.
De Ligt is a quality centre-back but the arrival of Harry Maguire has complicated his role. In the 80th minute, Maguire came on for Shaw, forcing De Ligt to move to the right, Yoro to the left, and Maguire to play in the center.
The 26-year-old star is a central defender who likes to approach, follow people and block the ball fiercely. This is Maguire's style as well. Therefore, both teams had a headache when making Amorim arrange. Maguire has experience playing as a 3 Man centre-back, has a voice on the pitch and is often confident when holding the ball, points that De Ligt was criticized for at Bayern Munich.
Compared to Yoro, De Ligt is not an agile center-back to cover a large space. If Man United play 4 defenders, he will have to compete directly with Maguire to pair up with Yoro or Lisandro Martinez. In the 3-center-back formation, his position is also more unpredictable.
Last season, De Ligt's best performances were when playing on the right wing in the three central defenders, thanks to his good physique and tackling skills that helped him block the fast-paced strikers. Amorim has also experimented with him as a centre-forward in a series of pre-season games.
The center back in the 3-center-back formation will have to move less because the right-back often moves high, the right wing center back will have about 20 - 30 meters to cover. Not only covering, they also have to get there quickly and on time. The centre-back will mainly move sideways, like a flash-back, Phil Jones said.
Maguire is 32 years old and his contract will expire in 2026, De Ligt could become a long-standing pillar of Man United. Right now, the Dutch star is learning all kinds of skills to adapt to both right and center.
Defense cannot be measured by just the number of tackles or the distance traveled. Everything needs to be put into context, that is also what De Ligt has lacked in the past few years. From Ajax, Juventus, Bayern to Man United, the 26-year-old centre-back has rarely been stable enough to affirm his individual value.
The 2025-2026 season could be a turning point. If Amorim can build a sustainable system, De Ligt will have the opportunity to reshape his career, become a key factor for Man United and be in the group of top Premier League defenders.
