MATTHIJS DE LIGT RACES AGAINST TIME TO RETURN BEFORE PREMIER LEAGUE FINALE
Matthijs de Ligt battles a stubborn back injury as Michael Carrick admits uncertainty over his Manchester United return.
Matthijs de Ligt wants to finally get back on the pitch before the season ends. He’s 26 now, and he’s been out since November with a stubborn back problem. At first, doctors thought he’d miss just a week, but it’s dragged on for months and really messed up his year.
Even Michael Carrick has admitted he isn’t sure if De Ligt will play again before the Premier League season wraps up on May 24. Still, De Ligt’s hoping for a return before then. He’s desperate to get fit and catch the eye of the Netherlands squad selectors ahead of the World Cup. Making the national team won’t be easy, though the competition is fierce. Virgil van Dijk, Micky van de Ven, Nathan Ake, Stefan de Vrij, Jan Paul van Hecke, Jurrien Timber, and Jorrel Hato have all been called up for upcoming friendlies under Ronald Koeman.
And even at Manchester United, De Ligt can’t just waltz back into the starting lineup. Harry Maguire’s enjoying quite a comeback, and Leny Yoro keeps getting better after stepping in for the injured Lisandro Martinez.
United’s next match is at home against Leeds on Monday, April 13, but Maguire’s out; he’s suspended after that red card in last Friday’s 2-2 draw with Bournemouth. Carrick’s hoping Martinez will be healthy enough to step in, but 19-year-old Ayden Heaven could also get a shot.
De Ligt hasn’t played a minute since Carrick took over as interim manager in January, following Ruben Amorim’s departure. Before the injury, De Ligt was a mainstay, starting all 13 of United’s league games.
Reporters caught up with Carrick last week and asked how De Ligt’s recovery was going, since he’d been spotted back at Carrington. Carrick just said, “It’s difficult to say, just because it’s taken that much time. With backs, sometimes you think it’s fine, and then suddenly it’s not. We’re being patient and working through it. We’ll give him time and try to get him back as quickly as we can, but it’s really difficult to say.”
As for possible surgery, Carrick wasn’t giving much away. “I don’t want to get into that at this stage. We’ll try anything we can to help, and we’re working through it now. I’m not hiding anything. He’s getting better, just not as fast as we’d all like.”
INSIDE SENNE LAMMENS’ BLUEPRINT FOR MAN UNITED’S MASSIVE 2026 SUMMER TRANSFER OVERHAUL
"We want to be stronger." Read Senne Lammens' honest assessment of Manchester United’s squad needs after the Sunderland draw.
Senne Lammens isn’t hiding from the truth; he knows Manchester United have to beef up their squad this summer if they want to handle both the Premier League and Champions League next season.
Saturday’s 0-0 draw at Sunderland showed just how thin United are right now. Casemiro, Benjamin Sesko, and Manuel Ugarte all sat out with injuries, and you could feel their absence on the pitch.
It’s been a weird season for United. They played just 40 games, the fewest in over a century, because they were eliminated from Europe and both domestic cups so early. But now they’re back in the Champions League, and Lammens realises the team has to get deeper if they want to compete seriously.
“Yeah, definitely. This league’s tough, and next year’s schedule is going to be insane,” the goalkeeper said. “You want to have enough reliable players, people who can step up whenever they’re needed.”
Lammens made it clear that United must invest in new signings during the summer window. He’s not saying the squad lacks quality now, but he knows things will get tougher. “Honestly, I think we’ve got a lot of talent this year,” he said. “But next season’s going to ask a lot more from us, and you need to be ready for injuries and everything that can come with a busy year like today, when we missed a few regular starters. Being able to call on others to jump in really matters.”
He wants a strong, well-rounded group ready for the challenges ahead. “We’re already building towards that, but we want to be even stronger for next season.”
Some people wondered if United relaxed after they clinched their Champions League spot by beating Liverpool last weekend. Lammens brushed that idea off. He said head coach Michael Carrick was all over them, reminding everyone to finish the season on a high.
“I don’t think so, not for me at least,” Lammens said. “The manager made it clear that these last games are important. We want as many points as we can get and to finish as high as possible. How you end the season carries over. It’s your launchpad for next year. We want to keep the momentum going.”
He didn’t want to hear any excuses. “Honestly, if we’d played at Sunderland a few weeks ago before securing the Champions League, it still would’ve been tough. That wasn’t in our minds.”
Carrick echoed those thoughts after the match. He sounded almost annoyed when asked if the players were mentally on holiday already.
“I get almost offended by that,” he said. “The way the players prepared and battled out there, it’s clear they’re still focused. If we’d been off it, we’d have lost. Sunderland pushed us hard at times.”
He thinks the pride and responsibility of playing for Manchester United is all the motivation the team needs. “That’s what keeps us sharp, knowing we represent something big. That doesn’t guarantee we’ll always play brilliantly, but it’s enough to fight through tough days.”
MANCHESTER UNITED HOLD ADVANCED NEGOTIATIONS FOR RECORD-BREAKING £18M BETWAY SPONSORSHIP
Despite the upcoming front-of-shirt gambling ban, explore how Man United’s Betway deal targets training apparel at Carrington.
Manchester United are currently discussing a potential sponsorship deal with Betway, reportedly worth up to £18 million. This comes despite the Premier League having banned betting companies from featuring as main shirt sponsors starting from the 2026-27 season.
Back in 2023, Premier League clubs collectively agreed to remove gambling logos from the front of their shirts. From that point, no top-flight team will carry betting advertisements on their kits during matches. But this new deal would see Betway appear on United’s training gear, not their matchday shirts.
According to reports from the MEN, talks have progressed significantly. If an agreement were reached, the Betway logo would be quite visible on the training apparel worn by players at Carrington, United’s training ground. That means fans would regularly see the branding in video footage and photos taken during training sessions.
Previously, United’s training kits featured Tezos, a blockchain company, until that partnership ended in June 2025. Betway has its own history with English football; they’ve been shirt sponsors for West Ham United and maintain global gambling partnerships with several Premier League clubs, including Manchester City, Arsenal, and Brighton & Hove Albion.
The financial terms on the table for this Betway deal would be substantially close to £18 million, putting it on a similar scale to Bayern Munich’s partnership with Allianz, which includes stadium naming rights. This is quite a significant figure for a single training kit sponsor.
This season, United have gone without a sponsor on their training gear. After the Tezos contract expired, the club chose not to rush into a new agreement. They wanted to carefully evaluate potential partners, both from a financial standpoint and in terms of brand alignment.
There were even conversations with the African division of the Six Rivers Foundation, a conservation project in which United minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has invested. However, those discussions didn’t lead to a deal.
When majority owners Joel and Avram Glazer visited Carrington earlier this year, commercial revenue and sponsorship opportunities were among the key topics addressed. The club has also brought in marketing agency Two Circles, where ex-United sales manager Leo Thompson works, to help find a new sleeve sponsor, given that the current contract with DXC ends this summer.
Securing Champions League qualification for next season under Michael Carrick’s leadership has somewhat eased the process. United guaranteed their place in Europe’s top competition after a 3-2 victory over Liverpool at Old Trafford, which should make the club more attractive to potential commercial partners.
