A candid video of Matthijs de Ligt’s reaction to Manchester United conceding against Brentford yesterday brilliantly captures the Dutchman’s competitive nature and demonstrates why he is the exact type of personality the club needs.
De Ligt had sustained a head injury early in the game after a clash with Brentford forward Kevin Schade. The centre-back’s head clattered into the opposition striker’s knee, causing blood to pour down his face.
Somewhat bizarrely, the referee awarded a free-kick to Brentford for the challenge, while De Ligt was ordered off the field to receive much-needed medical attention. In response, Erik ten Hag immediately ordered Victor Lindelof to begin warming up, fearing De Ligt’s day was done just minutes after it had begun.
However, the 25-year-old defender, signed from Bayern Munich in the summer, battled on and re-entered the fray after receiving treatment. But the measures taken by United’s medical staff proved futile with blood continuing to pour from the wound on De Ligt’s head.
He was sent off the pitch to receive treatment before again returning to the field. And it proved the reverse of ‘third time’s the charm’ when towards the end of the first-half, the referee again ordered De Ligt to the sidelines to try and stop the bleeding from his head.
Except this time United faced a corner kick, against a side famed for their set-piece ability.
In De Ligt’s absence, there was a considerable aerial weakness in the heart of the Red Devil defence; which Brentford defender Ethan Pinnock capitalised upon to great effect. Pinnock, marked by Diogo Dalot, strode into space in the United box – which would have been guarded by De Ligt – and fired a bullet header past the helpless Andre Onana.
One-nil Brentford; in a game United, and Ten Hag, could not afford to lose.
De Ligt’s reaction to the goal spoke volumes of both his personality and his awareness of the importance of the match, for him and his manager.
The 25-year-old erupts as Pinnock’s header nestles in the back of the United net, viciously kicking a spare ball on the touch line before remonstrating with the fourth official. Assistant manager Ruud van Nistelrooy joined his compatriot in these complaints, the anger palpable on the United bench.
Ten Hag revealed he used this “anger” amongst his staff and players to spark the much-improved second-half performance.
“We were very angry at half-time because we were controlling the game,” the Dutch manager revealed in his post-match interview. “I can’t understand why Matthijs was sent off [for treatment]. It was dry blood so he was already treated for the injury. It was a huge moment because Brentford are very good at corners and we were missing one of our best headers.”
United emerged from half-time like a different team. They pressed with greater purpose; they passed with more incision; and they propelled themselves towards victory with two beautifully worked goals.
At the heart of this improved display was De Ligt, bandaged and bruised, but leading his new teammates from the back with an aggression and drive reminiscent of previous greats in the United defence. It’s just a footballing truth that a centre-back who has blood pouring down their face, but remains on the pitch in spite of the injury, will produce a strong performance.
This was blood, sweat and no tears from United’s new number four as the Red Devils battled to a much-needed and much-deserved 2-1 win, courtesy of goals from Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Hojlund. But it was the intensity the United team exhibited in the second half which ultimately won them the game; and De Ligt’s reaction to going a goal down can be seen as the origin of this.
It’s this aspect of the 25-year-old which will have been as attractive to Ten Hag in the summer as any of his defensive qualities. United had settled on targeting the Bayern Munich defender after pursuits of alternative centre-backs had fallen through, but it’s a development which will likely prove a happy coincidence for the club in the long run.
De Ligt’s attitude and leadership are as valuable as his aerial prowess and tackling. The Old Trafford dressing room has been desperately starved of this type of personality in recent years and it’s one worth its weight in gold (or £38.5 million to be precise) when you see its effect on the pitch.
The only gripe the Dutch centre-back will have from yesterday’s win is that his defence did not emerge with a clean sheet from the game, even if the opposition were unable to score when he was on the pitch.
Featured image Shaun Botterill via Getty Images
