Matthijs de Ligt, the Bayern Munich defender, will once again be starting on the bench for the Netherlands in their Euro 2024 quarterfinal clash against Turkey. This decision by coach Ronald Koeman continues a trend of De Ligt being left out of the starting lineup, despite his impressive history with the national team.
De Ligt had previously spoken about seeking help from a psychologist after being benched for the Netherlands’ opening Euro 2024 matches. Koeman’s preference for the pairing of Virgil Van Diik and Stefan de Vrij has left De Ligt on the sidelines. While he was a starter in the Netherlands’ opening game of the 2022 World Cup, he was subsequently dropped by then-coach Louis van Gaal.
De Ligt made his debut for the Netherlands national team back in 2017 at the age of 17, becoming the youngest player to start for the national team since 1931. He has since gone on to make 45 appearances for his country, scoring two goals.
However, De Ligt is coming off a disappointing season with Bayern Munich, where the team failed to win the Bundesliga for the first time in 11 years and finished third. This, coupled with his lack of playing time for the Netherlands, has fueled speculation about a potential move to Manchester United during the summer transfer window.
The Dutch team will be hoping to overcome the challenge of Turkey and advance to the semifinals of Euro 2024, regardless of De Ligt’s role in the match. The game is scheduled to take place at Olympiastadion Berlin on Saturday.
