Matthijs de Ligt will start in the Netherlands’ Nations League match against Germany on Tuesday (NurPhoto/Shutterstock)
Ronald Koeman insists Matthijs de Ligt will start in the Netherlands’ Nations League clash against Germany following his mistake in the win over Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The Netherlands sealed a 5-2 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina on Saturday evening with Manchester United striker Joshua Zirkzee opening the scoring with his first senior international goal.
De Ligt, meanwhile, was at fault for Bosnia and Herzegovina’s second goal as he failed to cut out a cross into a box which allowed Edin Dzeko to find the net from close range.
The centre-back, who joined Manchester United for an initial £38.5 million fee from Bayern Munich in the summer, has faced calls to be dropped from the national side but Koeman is adamant that the criticism over his error should not be ‘too dramatic’.
‘We talked about it briefly. That was focused on the goal,’ Koeman said of De Ligt’s mistake on Monday.
‘He is not in a good position. He did not come out well with his steps.
Matthijs De Ligt was criticised after his error in the Netherlands’ 5-2 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina (ANP via Getty)
‘That was an individual bad moment from a defender. You have to learn from that but also not be too dramatic about it. Don’t put too much emphasis on it.
‘He also had very good moments on the ball. That resulted in another big chance, when he played directly forward once. But it is clear that he also has to improve.’
Koeman also revealed that he supported De Ligt’s decision to join United after being consulted by the defender prior to his switch to Old Trafford.
‘I don’t know why the club sold him. Or maybe it was his decision,’ Koeman said.
‘He called me to talk about the move to United. That was a good move, but staying at Bayern would have been good for him too.
‘I hope he gets to play at United and develops his game further.’
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