Man Utd players send clear message to Virgil van Dijk after Matthijs de Ligt criticism

Matthijs de Ligt has made a solid start to his Manchester United career after arriving at Old Trafford in the summer as part of a double swoop that also brought Noussair Mazraoui from Bayern Munich. The pair, former Ajax proteges of Erik ten Hag, are now back under the tutelage of their old boss.

De Ligt found the net for the Red Devils against Southampton, marking his first goal for the club . Yet, it's the clean sheet at St. Mary's that will have given him the most satisfaction, particularly following some pointed remarks from a notable international teammate.

Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk caused a stir during the September international break when he criticized De Ligt for an error in the Netherlands' match against Bosnia and Herzegovina.

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The Dutch side may have triumphed 5-2 in that Nations League encounter, but De Ligt's first-half mistake, which led to Denis Undav scoring, saw him substituted at the interval. "This is football," remarked the Oranje skipper van Dijk post-game. "You have to learn from this. "It was one moment. But at the highest level you will get punished for it."

Back on club duty last Saturday, De Ligt responded perfectly to van Dijk's comments by scoring the opener in a match where further strikes from Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho secured a convincing win for United at St. Mary's.

De Ligt posted on Instagram after the match to share his joy with his followers. He posted two snapshots of the action, accompanying them with a succinct message that captured the spirit of the win.

The Dutch defender's update said: "Great fight from the team today and a deserved three points. Carabao Cup next."

The post clearly resonated, racking up around 500,000 likes, while the comment space overflowed with commendations for the 47-times capped star. De Ligt's Manchester United colleagues including Kobbie Mainoo, Bruno Fernandes, Amad Diallo, and countryman Joshua Zirkzee were quick to extend their support.