In a recent critique, former Premier League player and cult hero David Wheater expressed his dissatisfaction with Matthijs de Ligt’s performance for Manchester United against Porto. Wheater, who developed at Middlesbrough’s academy and accumulated over 470 senior appearances with clubs like Bolton Wanderers, Oldham Athletic, and Darlington, watched as De Ligt committed critical errors leading to Porto’s goals during United’s Europa League match at Estadio do Dragao. Following the match, Wheater took to social media with a bold statement.
David Wheater said, “I’m better than De Ligt at this very moment and I’m 20kg overweight and a dodgy ankle.”
Wheater’s criticism is part of a growing debate about whether Manchester United should consider benching de Ligt, with fans encouraged to share their insights. Wheater is not alone in his criticism, as Liverpool icon Jamie Carragher also scrutinized De Ligt’s performance. Carragher’s comments came after United’s loss to Tottenham, as reported by the Mirror.
Jamie Carragher pointed out flaws in De Ligt’s game: “The striker just behind him has got nothing to do with him, that is Martinez’s job,” he emphasized. “He looks over his shoulder here, forget that! Forget it. Get here [the space Micky van de Ven runs into]. This is a brilliant run, amazing. But Van de Ven runs because he sees the space. Listen, the fullback gets caught out at the back post, we see him with his hand up. Again I want to go to De Ligt. This sums Manchester United up over the last two or three years. Pressing and always being late.They’re locked in here, you’ve got the front three of Tottenham locking in the back four and you have him here free. There’s two men on one player. De Ligt should already be over. We run it on and just look at De Ligt flying across, flying into the challenge. I can talk about United’s midfield, running at the back four. But where’s De Ligt? You’ve got to get over.”
