Manchester United’s defense has been a full-blown nightmare lately, a serious cause for concern for Michael Carrick heading into the international break. Seriously, it’s been rough out there. INEOS totally dropped the ball on strengthening the backline, and with so many defenders sidelined, Senne Lammens has been in an impossible spot, still chasing his first Premier League clean sheet of the season.
The Backline Has Been a Leaky Faucet, Man
Can we just talk about this defense for a minute? It’s been a disaster. Carrick has been tearing his hair out, and honestly, who can blame him? The whole situation is just brutal. We’re talking about a defense that’s been giving up goals like they’re going out of style, and it’s putting immense pressure on Lammens, who’s still waiting to get off the mark with a clean sheet. This isn’t just a minor issue; it’s been the biggest problem holding the team back, full stop. The lack of reinforcements hasn’t helped one bit, and the absences have just piled on the misery.
De Ligt Is Back in the Mix, and It’s About Time!
Now for the actual good news! The imminent return of Matthijs de Ligt is HUGE. This dude is arguably the best central defender at the club, and his return could seriously make Carrick’s life a whole lot easier. Remember how he started last season strong? Then boom, a back injury in November knocked him out for the rest of that campaign and even this summer’s pre-season. He hasn’t played a single competitive minute under Carrick, and we all know he had surgery earlier this year to fix those lower back issues. It’s been a long, painful 11-month wait.
But guess what? The Netherlands international is super close to being back on duty! According to club insider Sully (via Roundtable), De Ligt has been looking “good” since he returned to full training. Yeah, there were doubts if he’d ever get back to his highest level after missing over 11 months, but the reports are solid. He’s been training with the squad for months, even traveled to London for the Fulham game. Plus, he got some minutes in a behind-closed-doors friendly against FC Lausanne-Sport, which is awesome. Carlos Baleba also played in that friendly after being on the bench for the 1-1 draw at Fulham. This whole development is being called “a much-needed boost,” and you know what? We need every bit of it.
So, what’s next? The big question is whether our guy, the 27-year-old De Ligt, will be fit enough to play against Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford on October 10. That game is massive, and having him even for a few minutes could change everything for that leaky defense. Fingers crossed, man.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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