Manchester United have been handed a timely boost as Matthijs de Ligt was pictured training on the grass at Carrington on Thursday, marking his most significant step towards recovery since being sidelined with a stubborn back injury nearly five months ago.
The 26-year-old has been absent since helping the Red Devils to a 2-1 victory at Crystal Palace on November 30, a result that now feels like a distant memory in what has been a turbulent season at Old Trafford.
De Ligt took to Instagram to post several pictures of himself running and doing ball exercises, captioning the post: “Working hard, getting closer.”
De Ligt had enjoyed a superb start to the campaign at the heart of Manchester United’s three-man defence, winning the club’s Player of the Month award in November , before the back problem cruelly cut short his momentum.
The Dutchman missed the final weeks of Ruben Amorim’s reign at Carrington, as well as Darren Fletcher’s brief stewardship, and has yet to play a single minute under interim head coach Michael Carrick.
Manchester United confirmed that De Ligt is working closely with the club’s medical staff and doing everything he can to return, though Michael Carrick has not disclosed a specific timeline for when the centre-back will be available for selection.
With only a handful of Premier League games remaining this season, a return before the final whistle is not guaranteed but the sight of De Ligt back on the Carrington turf will be enough to lift spirits at the club ahead of what promises to be a critical summer of rebuilding.
