Only at the start in the starting eleven
Matthijs de Ligt is satisfied despite his manageable times at the World Cup. According to FC Bayern, the newcomer assumed that he would hardly or not at all play for the Dutch national team in Qatar and would therefore only be second choice for Bonds coach Louis van Gaal. De Ligt played the full 90 minutes in the opening game against Senegal (2-0), while he played in the following two group ties against Ecuador (1-1) and Qatar (2-0) and in the round of 16 against USA (3-1). only allowed to participate actively for one minute.
Not being in the starting XI is “okay” for him, said the central defender from Portal “The Athletic” quoted. “Honestly, it’s not that frustrating. Every player wants to play, but we are a group of 26 players.” The 23-year-old switched from Juventus to Munich for €67m last summer and is the second most valuable central defender in the world with a market value of €70m. Still, he said: “To be honest, I played more than I expected at this World Cup. I expected not to play. I’m fine. We won together and are in the quarter-finals.”
De Ligt has appeared 40 times for the “Elftal” so far, he celebrated his debut on March 25, 2017. In his view, a lack of fitness is not responsible for his reserve role. “No, it’s just the way I play. Maybe the coach won’t use me and that’s fine with me. I expected that. So for me it’s fine. I know my role and train hard every day to be important to the team.” The 90 minutes against Senegal came as a surprise to him.
With Robben & de Ligt: The most expensive Dutch in football history
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