Manchester United have not been at their best this season and with every defeat, the pressure is mounting on manager Ruben Amorim.
The Red Devils gave their fans a lot of hope after the 2-1 win over Chelsea, but they failed to kick on with that momentum and succumbed to a 3-1 defeat against Brentford last weekend.
However, amidst all the chaos, Matthijs de Ligt has been one of the better players for United this season.
Although he hasn't been absolutely flawless but at least he has shown some improvement under Amorim at the heart of the defense.
Therefore, to everyone's shock, De Ligt was left out of the Ronald Koeman's Netherlands squad for the October international break.
While United haven't been the best defensively, De Ligt has been one of the first names on Amorim's team sheet and hence it was surprising for many to see him get snubbed.
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However, De Ligt has fallen down the pecking order at Koeman's Netherlands as he has preferred Virgil van Dijk and Micky van de Ven.
In the last international break in September, De Ligt was left as an unused substitute against Poland and in the following game against Lithuania, he replaced Donyell Malen in the 89th minute to see off the lead.
Therefore, it was a clear indication from Koeman that De Ligt was not in his plans as the likes of Stefan de Vrij and Brighton's Jan Paul van Hecke have also taken precedence over the United star.
Following his exclusion from the Dutch national team, Liverpool star Van Dijk's criticism of De Ligt has resurfaced when he was at fault for both goals that Netherlands conceded in their 2-2 draw against Germany last year in September.
Van Dijk said at the time: "This is football. You have to learn from this. It was one moment but at the highest level you will get punished for it."
De Ligt continues to be the mainstay for Man United defense
Manchester United are in a tight spot and they desperately need wins to bring stability around Amorim's future at the club.
In this ordeal, De Ligt becomes a massive stalwart for the Red Devils as he has shown improvement in the first six league games and will hope to continue that form in the upcoming games.
The 26-year-old will also be keen to deliver some solid performances in defense so that he manages to regain Koeman's trust and gets recalled into the Dutch national team setup with the World Cup happening next year.
For now, De Ligt will be able to focus on his domestic form for United after he urged the players to step up their performances following the defeat against Brentford in the last weekend.
It will be interesting to see how De Ligt fares in the upcoming Premier League clash when United will host newly promoted Sunderland at Old Trafford on Saturday.
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