'Gave nothing away': Alan Shearer has now praised United star who won 100% aerial duels vs Southampton
Newcastle United legend Alan Shearer has heaped praise on Manchester United defender Matthijs de Ligt following his man of the match performance against Southampton.
The Red Devils registered a 3-0 Premier League win over the Saints on Saturday. De Ligt opened the scoring with a cushioned header and went on to impress defensively too.
The Netherlands international finished the game with a passing accuracy of 92%. He won 100% of his aerial duels and made six clearances for the Mancunian giants.
De Ligt was rightly adjudged as the man of the match. Shearer has now picked the Dutchman in his Premier League Team of the Week.
He said: “Scored with a great header and gave nothing away at the back as Manchester United eventually cruised to victory at Southampton.”
The 25-year-old had a poor international break with his country. He was guilty of making high-profile defensive errors against Bosnia & Herzegovina and Germany.
There were questions raised over his ability to respond. Erik ten Hag was unconcerned over the same in his pre-match presser and De Ligt repaid the manager’s faith.
The onus is now on continuing his good form over a long stretch of games. United also need to build a long winning streak if they want to push for a top-four league finish this term.
De Ligt was substituted against Southampton due to cramp, but Ten Hag has confirmed that he is available for the Carabao Cup third round tie versus Barnsley on Tuesday evening.
Stats from Sofascore.com