The decision caused outrage against De Ligt

Coach Ronald Koeman suddenly removed Matthijs de Ligt from the Netherlands team's training list to prepare for the 2026 World Cup qualifying round.

De Ligt is a rare bright spot in MU's defense this season.

In the announced list, coach Koeman chose the central defenders including Virgil van Dijk, Micky van de Ven, Stefan de Vrij and Jan Paul van Hecke. Notably, De Ligt was still present in the training session last month, but now he has been left out.

In September, De Ligt was left out of the 1-1 draw with Poland and only came on in the 89th minute of the 3-2 win over Lithuania. But at Manchester United, he is now the number one stopper.

In the Premier League this season, De Ligt started all 6 matches, won 60% of the duels, made an average of more than 2 tackles per match and achieved an accurate passing rate of 88.6%. In particular, his proactive defensive style, ready to rush forward to intercept the ball, helped the "Red Devils" defense escape many goals.

Compared to Van de Ven or Van Hecke – who have lower tackles, interceptions and contest win rates – De Ligt is clearly superior. However, coach Koeman does not put his trust in the former Bayern Munich star.

On social media, many fans were outraged by the fact that the MU midfielder was not called up. A famous account specializing in football commentary wrote: "De Ligt played every game for MU and had an excellent start to the season. And yet he has no place in the national team? This is a scandalous decision by Koeman. He was the worst coach in Barcelona's history."

With the Netherlands dropping points at home to Poland and struggling to beat Lithuania, Koeman’s selection is likely to be controversial. On the contrary, United have reason to smile. Resting their favourite player during the international break could help coach Ruben Amorim keep De Ligt fit for the fierce winter period.

The Netherlands national team's training list in October.

Source: https://znews.vn/quyet-dinh-gay-phan-no-doi-voi-de-ligt-post1590556.html