There have been plenty of questions asked at Manchester United over the last week. But as the club lurches into another period of transition, the one over the persistent absence of Matthijs de Ligt could grow louder.
It has been over six weeks since his last appearance for the club, playing the full 90 minutes in the victory away to Crystal Palace on 30 November.
After missing the following game against West Ham United, Ruben Amorim optimistically predicted: ‘For Matta, it is a small thing. I expect to have Matthijs [back] next game.’
Those comments were made on 4 December. A week later, ahead of a game against Bournemouth, Amorim revealed it was a back issue causing problems for his centre-half. ‘I think he has something in his back. I don’t know for sure. He finished the game against Crystal Palace, but sometimes he feels pain, and we have to be careful with that.’
There have been no further updates since with no firm indication when the Netherlands international will return to action. The radio silence has done little to ease fears growing among fans on social media.
The former Ajax starlet had a very strong case for being United’s player of the season until injury struck. Despite sitting out of the last nine games, no other player has won more aerial duels than the Dutchman this season, playing every minute of every Premier League game prior to being sidelined.
Michael Carrick was confirmed as United’s interim boss on Wednesday and with the former midfielder expected to switch to a system built on four at the back, having the club’s best centre-half available for that transition would have been ideal.
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But ahead of Saturday’s derby showdown with Manchester City, there has been no indication a return is close.
United have not disclosed any details behind the injury but back problems can be problematic. Arsenal lost William Saliba to such an injury in March 2023, ruling him out of the final three months of the season in a blow that was most responsible for the Gunners’ title bid derailing.
There is no suggestion de Ligt is struggling with a similar issue – details on the Dutchman are scarce but by their nature, back injuries are complex.
Stephen Smith, CEO and founder of Kitman Labs which specialises in injury welfare and performance analytics, suggests there could be a number of possible issues at play, each with their own ‘complications and timelines’.
‘They are always complex, or they have the potential to be very complex,’ Smith told Metro. ‘We don’t know what this one is, we don’t know if it is a muscular issue, a neural issue or an articular (joint) issue. Each would come with its own set of complications and timelines. They are all different.
‘The weight of your entire body goes through your back, you can’t run around, you can’t twist and turn, you can’t bend down, you can’t kick if it’s a problem for you. So for a a high performing athlete, it is obviously a very important component.
‘It sounds like it may have been a little bit more serious than was initially communicated. Or it has taken longer to work through, they thought it was something smaller and it has played out a little longer than expected. We don’t know what the diagnosis is so it is hard to estimate what that means but we can hope he is over the worst of it.’
Training with back issues can be very problematic depending on the severity if the issue. For any player in any position, the physical demands on your back are huge and until the issue is resolved, they can require significant periods of recovery.
Carrick's to-do list - Four things he must fix quickly to halt slide
Manchester United were incredibly generous leading up to Christmas and over the festive period, handing out points at home to Everton, West Ham, Bournemouth and Wolves before draws away to Leeds and Burnley.
But as is stands, they are firmly within touching distance of the Champions League spots, just a point off fifth place.
Even after being knocked out of the FA Cup, there is still plenty to salvage from the season - if Carrick and his staff can make some quick fixes.
Solve Sesko's struggles up front
Benjamin Sesko has had some fleeting moments of promise this season but the jury is still out. At times, the Slovenia international has looked effective foil for Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha, holding the ball up and linking play intelligently in the final third.
But questions over his physicality and unconvincing finishing remain. His performance against Burnley largely summed things up - scoring twice with two excellent finishes in the second-half but only after a thoroughly wretched display in the opening 45 where he could barely keep the ball under control.
Another goal against Brighton on Sunday means the 22-year-old has scored more under Darren Fletcher than he did under Amorim. A change of system and playing style has offered early promise.
Abandon the dreaded 3-4-3
It would serve as a huge shock were Carrick to persist with the system that became nothing but a cross to bear for Amorim.
Carrick very rarely deviated from a 4-2-3-1 formation at Middlesbrough, sometimes to his detriment, with a lack of a 'plan B' often cited as one of the reasons his failed to achieve promotion.
But this system appears to be perfectly suited to the Red Devils squad. Too often it has been a case of square pegs in round holes for United over the last year. Simplifying matters may be the interim boss' best course of action in the six months he has.
Reintegrate Mainoo and revive his United fortunes
As he may have been privately hoping for all season, Kobbie Mainoo has managed to outlast Ruben Amorim. With no Premier League starts to his name, it has been a miserable campaign but the change in system will surely open up a role in midfield for the 20-year-old.
United are desperately short of the controlling, calm presence Carrick once provided in the engine room. Who better to teach Mainoo the ropes.
It's a two-way street - United need inspiration in midfield and Mainoo needs to deliver if he is to stand any chance of forcing his way into Thomas Tuchel's England squad heading to the World Cup next summer. There can be no more excuses.
Unleash Fernandes in his old role
Restoring Mainoo to midfield and a shift in system could see Bruno Fernandes restored to the more advanced role where he has historically been at his prolific best in Manchester.
The Portugal international scored 44 goals and laid on 35 assists in his 97 games while Carrick served as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's assistant, averaging 0.81 goal contributions per game.
It might require some tinkering with Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Amad Diallo also in the picture but the rewards could be enormous.
Fernandes has performed admirably in his deeper role this season but it is further up the pitch where he is most dangerous. Amid reports the captain has had enough of Old Trafford, keeping him happy is a top priority.
Tony Mogan, live sports editor,
‘You can have simple back spams issues that have athletes doing certain aspects of conditioning before being introduced to team training relatively quickly,’ Smith said. ‘Things with a neural or disc involvement can be highly debilitating and require a decent amount of treatment and recovery to offload that and get normal function back.
‘Similarly, articular and joint issues can require significant periods of time too. When you think about the entire load of your body, it is a lot of pressure and stress to take. When you couple that with the pressure and stress created when you are running, jumping, landing and all that pressure is coming through one fulcrum, that can be very debilitating. It depends on the root cause of the issue.’
De Ligt falls into the category of players who you feel have been on the scene for years despite being just 26. The centre-half was just 19 when he was captaining Ajax in the Champions League semi-final and having also had spells at Juventus and Bayern Munich, has been operating within an elite environment his entire career.
Aside from a shoulder problem that ruled him out for three months in 2020, this latest issue will mark his longest spell out, 44 days and counting having missed nine games.
No real history of back issues is a positive. Having crashed out of the FA Cup, United are also looking at a relatively light schedule for the second-half of the season with just 17 games on the calendar.
While they certainly won’t have wanted it that way, it will make the task of keeping the squad fresh and rested a little easier.
‘More rest between games gives them the opportunity to manage those issues, depending on what it is,’ Smith said. You would say that for any injury. It simplifies things.
‘United can also probably take some solace in the fact there doesn’t appear to be a history behind it, it doesn’t appear to be a recurring thing or a repeat event so hopefully they have nipped it in the bud.’
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