Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher singles out Man Utd star for criticism after Tottenham thrashing
Jamie Carragher has not held back on his criticism of Matthijs de Ligt after Manchester United's dismal defeat at the hands of Tottenham, leaving Old Trafford in shock. With De Ligt drafted in from Bayern Munich expected to bolster the Red Devils' defensive line, results have been less than sterling as United conceded six across their latest two home clashes in the Premier League.
The loss to Spurs on Sunday raised eyebrows, coming at a time when Ange Postecoglou's squad has had an inconsistent run. Spurs hit the ground running, Micky van de Ven broke through United's defense early on, setting up Brennan Johnson for an easy goal within minutes.
While Gary Neville rebuked Marcus Rashford over his role in that early setback, Carragher's censure fell squarely on Dutch defender de Ligt. The former Liverpool man pinpointed repeated errors in positioning by the center-back, which he believes precipitated trouble for United on the pitch.
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Speaking to Sky Sports, Carragher explained his observations: "I've noticed this with De Ligt and a lot of center-backs, I don't understand why they don't fill the space and come over. The striker just behind him has got nothing to do with him, that is Martinez's job."
He continued to dissect the error, suggesting a different tactical approach: "If De Ligt goes over, Martinez comes across. He looks over his shoulder here, forget that! Forget it. Get here [the space Van de Ven runs into]. This is a brilliant run, amazing. But Van de Ven runs because he sees the space.
"Listen, the full-back gets caught out at the back post, we see him with his hand up. Again I want to go to De Ligt. This sums Manchester United up over the last two or three years. Pressing and always being late.
"They're locked in here, you've got the front three of Tottenham locking in the back four and you have him here free. There are two men on one player. De Ligt should already be over. We run it on and just look at De Ligt flying across, flying into the challenge.
"It comes from his starting position. I can talk about United's midfield, running at the back four. But where's De Ligt? The right-backs has come up and look where De Ligt is. You've got to get over. So in every situation in the first half, De Ligt, a player they brought in for huge money, is completely out of position."
Carragher wasn't alone in criticizing De Ligt for United's disastrous performance. United legend and midfield maestro Paul Scholes chimed in with his own doubts regarding the centre-back's rocky tenure since arriving at Old Trafford.
"When you bring players in, you expect them to be a lot better than who you've already got. I don't see players coming in who are a big difference. De Ligt has come in for Maguire, let's say, but there's no big difference there," Scholes commented to Premier League Productions.
"These are experienced players who United have paid a lot of money for. We need to stop hearing excuses and get on that training pitch and find a way of playing. Find something, give us something!"
Liverpool.com says: De Ligt is just one thing that has gone wrong for Manchester United in recent times. He is far from the only problem but is a player who was brought in during the summer who ultimately isn't much better than the players the Old Trafford side already had.