De Ligt getting settled at United
Matthijs de Ligt believes he is adapting to the demands of the Premier League with every game in the division.
The Netherlands international is feeling settled at Manchester United, following his move from Bayern Munich in the summer, despite the change with Ruben Amorim coming in as head coach.
He came closest to scoring in the 2-0 defeat at Arsenal on Wednesday, when his header was superbly saved by David Raya in the Gunners' goal, and has shown his qualities and adaptability.
“I feel well settled in now," the defender told club media. "We are now three months later. I remember my old agent, who, unfortunately, passed away, Mino Raiola, always told me that, normally after six months, you start to feel a little bit better and, after one year, you can say that you are completely settled.
"Yeah, I think, after three months, I’m quite settled and I already feel good. I feel good with the team, with my team-mates, with the stadium, with the fans. So, hopefully, we can continue like that and me personally also.
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"I expected it [the Premier League] to be like this. Obviously, in the beginning, it’s quite difficult because, first of all, you come from a different league. Second of all, I didn’t have one normal pre-season in the last couple of years. So it was because of injuries and because of the Euros last summer.
"So it’s quite normal at the beginning that you have some trouble adapting to the pace of the game and to the pace of the players. I feel that game by game, I’m getting better. I’m getting more used to the opponents, about the league, and, yeah, then it becomes a lot easier.”
De Ligt has, of course, already scored for the Reds, bagging the opener in the 3-0 victory at Southampton in September, and his threat from set-pieces will hopefully continue to be a feature.
Former boss Erik ten Hag believed his fellow countryman was the best header of a ball at the club and the centre-back is confident he can get on the end of deliveries into the box.
"That’s something that is always important, especially now in modern football," he said. "The differences are so, so small. So a set-piece can make a big difference. So, obviously, we train on that a lot.
"I know that I have good qualities in this area. I think I’m quite strong in the air, jumping. My timing is quite good. So, yeah, hopefully more goals can come.”
De Ligt started on the right side of the three-man defence at the Emirates Stadium and believes he is capable of operating in any of the slots. With Lisandro Martinez due to return from suspension at the weekend against Nottingham Forest, it will be interesting to see how Amorim sets up at the back.
"I've played in the middle but I think I can also play on the left and on the right." the Dutchman told us before the midweek game. "I played, also in Bayern Munich, a lot on the left and in the Champions League and competitions like that. So, yeah, I’m quite excited to see where the future is and what will be my best position.”