De Ligt: You can't do it with 11 players

.A key focus of the club's recruitment drive this summer has centred on the backline, where De Ligt operates, with himself and Leny Yoro joining an already impressive roster of Lisandro Martinez, Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof and Jonny Evans.

That doesn't worry the Dutchman, however, who sees competition as an imperative both for rotating through a hectic schedule and driving each other on in training.

"You can't do it with 11 players," the former Bayern man said. "You need, actually, almost a minimum of like two good players in every position.

"Then it's about competition, and I think this competition makes everybody else a bigger player because you need to show every day that you are the best at your position, that you can help the team."

United found out the hard way last season that you can't predict what might be around the corner, with almost every member of the Reds' defensive unit facing spells in the treatment room during the previous campaign.

Now, with the likes of De Ligt boosting the numbers, manager Erik ten Hag will hope those fears become a distant memory.

But De Ligt is clear that there's more to squad assembly than simply getting numbers through the door, and he believes United have struck the ideal balance for success.

He said: "We have a lot of really talented young players. We have also the age group of, I think, 22 to 28. We have a lot of also really good, experienced players.

"I think that if you can blend this together, this will be a really good mix."

The defender recognises that this squad depth, with the guidance of Ten Hag, provides the club with the tools required to achieve both our short-term and long-term aims.

The end goal for a team with the stature of United is, of course, clinching every piece of major silverware available. De Ligt recognises the work required to take the Reds there.

"The idea that we're in the project that we're in, is that we want to get United back to where it belongs, and that's in the top of the Premier League," the Netherlands international said. "You have to do it step by step, and I feel already we're making a lot of good steps.

"I think if we can make every training a training that we feel like, 'Okay, today we became a better team', we have a really good squad and can go really far in every competition we play."

With fixtures coming thick and fast after the international break, squad depth and a mindset like De Ligt's will be paramount for the Reds' hunt for a third trophy in as many seasons.