Manchester United have confirmed that Matthijs de Ligt has undergone surgery in an attempt to correct a frustrating back injury. The 26-year-old Netherlands international has not played since November due to the problem and will now miss the upcoming World Cup.
Surgery decision after six months of treatment
De Ligt returned to United training last month and had originally hoped to play again this season. However, together with the club, it was decided that a corrective procedure was the best course of action. Sharing a photo of himself in a hospital bed on Instagram, De Ligt wrote: "After 6 months of treatment and working hard to get back, surgery was the only option left. I'm disappointed I couldn't help the team the last 6 months and obviously missing out on the World Cup but I am looking forward to doing everything to get back in front of the fans and feeling better again."
His Netherlands teammates Frenkie de Jong and Micky van de Ven were among those to send supportive messages, as well as former United midfielder Christian Eriksen.
Club statement on successful procedure
United released a statement saying: "Matthijs de Ligt has undergone successful surgery to address a back injury. Having diligently worked throughout his rehabilitation process, the decision was made that a corrective procedure was the best course of action."
De Ligt told the club website: "Since November I have done everything, pushing myself in every session and exploring every option, to get back to doing what I love, playing football. I am grateful to everyone who has supported me throughout a difficult period in my career. I remain as determined as ever to represent Manchester United and play in front of our incredible supporters as soon as possible."
Impact on United's season
De Ligt made 14 appearances for United this season before being sidelined in November. He has since missed 24 matches due to the back problem. Manager Michael Carrick had previously expressed caution about the defender's return timeline. "It's difficult to say, just because it's taken that much time," Carrick said in late March. "With backs sometimes you think it's all right and all of a sudden it's not quite right. We're just 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."
On the prospect of surgery, Carrick added: "I don't want to get into that at this stage. We'll try and do whatever we can to help and we're working through that now. I'm not trying to hide anything. He's improving. It's just not as quick as we all hope."
