Erik ten Hag reveals Matthijs de Ligt's role in his plans after disastrous international break

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag stressed that Matthijs de Ligt's problems on the international stage are unlikely to have an impact on his situation at club level.

Ten Hag spoke to the press ahead of United's game against Southampton on Saturday and commented on De Ligt's problems.

De Ligt – a player United signed from Bayern Munich in the summer – endured a disastrous international break in September.

The defender made a costly error against Bosnia and Herzegovina that led to Edin Dzeko's goal in the 73rd minute. His mistake forced Dutch coach Ronald Koeman to publicly defend him.

In the Netherlands' next match against Germany, Koeman opted for De Ligt, again choosing to start alongside Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk. The decision proved to be a mistake as United's new signing scored two more brilliant saves to gift the team their goals and secure a draw at the Johan Cruyff Arena.

Van Dijk in particular sharply attacked De Ligt, while Koeman told the media that he had substituted him at half-time to protect him.

During the classified part of his press conference, ten Hag was asked about De Ligt and replied: “I know Matthijs. He is a great personality and has a great character. He will overcome this and come back from this situation for the Dutch team.”

“It's definitely not because of his club situation. I'm not afraid of this situation, I know his qualities, I know his personality and I know he will fight back.”

“He also had a very difficult pre-season because he didn't play any games. His only game from the start was the last game against Liverpool. Without that game, he starts for the Dutch team and he's not yet in rhythm or at full speed. But when he is, you'll see his qualities and a different player.”

Another United player who is currently going through a difficult phase is Casemiro.

Ten Hag said of the Brazilian midfielder: “Of course it is a different approach. He [Casemiro] is experienced and it is not the first time he has experienced a bad game. Now he has to get through this one too, but that is normal in life.”

“There are ups and downs, in life and also in the life of a football player. Of course, this is only obvious to a football player, there are many who observe it and have an opinion about it. You have to deal with it. He knows how to deal with it.”

“No career is all uphill, no team level or team pattern is all uphill. You have to deal with it, but it's about what the end result is.”

Manuel Ugarte is hoping to finally make his United debut against the Saints after joining on the final day of the season from Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain.

Regarding Ugarte, Ten Hag said: “I already let him play against Sporting Lisbon when I was coach of Ajax. He has been on my radar for a long time. He is coming, it is a late transfer, but he plays in a very important position. You have to combine defence with attack and attack with defence.”

“Communication is very important there to keep the team together, to lead the team, to make the connection between attack and defense, defense and attack. We have to help him, we have to show him how to play that role, but of course from what we've seen he already knows a lot. He has the profile that we think he could fit into that role and now we have to teach him some details of how it works in our team.”

The Dutch coach added: “It was not just that game, but also the seasons after, when he played there, when he played for Uruguay, when he played for Paris. [Saint-Germain]. I have him in mind, I have my eye on him. The scouting department has him in mind and we followed him. We thought he would fit really well into our team.”

Ten Hag stressed the importance of squad depth, explaining that United need at least two quality players in every position.

He reiterated that players must be aware of their respective roles in the game and ultimately take responsibility on the pitch.

United's Saturday game against Southampton kicks off at 12:30 BST.

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