Matthijs de Ligt and Man Utd could benefit from harsh Virgil van Dijk advice

Virgil van Dijk didn’t pull any punches with Matthijs de Ligt after the Manchester United defender’s nightmare performance for the Netherlands.

De Ligt was at fault for both of Germany’s goals as the Dutch fell behind just before half-time, with Deniz Undav and Joshua Kimmich striking after Tiijani Reijnders’ opener. Van Dijk made his frustrations clear as he slammed his hand on the pitch in response to the errors.

Ronald Koeman would go a step further by replacing De Ligt at half-time with Jan Paul van Hecke, compounding what was a miserable night for the 25-year-old. Denzel Dumfries rescued a draw for the Netherlands, but Van Dijk nevertheless had a blunt message for his center-back partner at the end of the game.

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"This is football," he told Dutch TV channel NOS. "You have to learn from this. It was one moment but at the highest level, you will get punished for it."

While it might seem harsh to some, especially given Van Dijk also received some criticism on social media for his part in Germany’s second goal, it’s a message De Ligt should be taking on board.

Once regarded as one of the best up-and-coming stars in Ajax’s young side, De Ligt has not had the best of times over the past few years. Having fallen out of favor at both Juventus and Bayern, he didn’t make a single appearance at Euro 2024 as he was left on the bench throughout the tournament.

Now at Old Trafford, things haven’t got much better for him, with Liverpool giving him a harsh lesson on what he faces with a United side still lagging behind under Erik ten Hag. Meanwhile, on the opposite side, Van Dijk was looking at his imperious best as the Reds kept their third clean sheet in as many games.

Liverpool fans will obviously hope De Ligt’s struggles continue, but if he is to rediscover the sort of form that saw him linked with a move to Anfield during his time at Ajax, then he needs to take Van Dijk’s advice on board.

The Liverpool captain is a shining example of how to succeed in the Premier League, having established himself as one of the competition’s greatest-ever defenders. United could only wish to have a player of his caliber at the moment, and if they have serious ambitions of catching their great rivals, their players need to start learning from the Reds.