Xavi confirms contact with Man United and De Ligt as defender battles back from lengthy injury

Netherlands head coach Xavi has confirmed he is in contact with both Manchester United and Matthijs de Ligt as the defender works his way back from a back injury that has ruled him out for the past 10 months.

De Ligt, 27, spent the first half of last season in treatment before undergoing surgery in mid-May. The operation forced him to miss this summer’s World Cup, where the Netherlands were eliminated in the round of 32 on penalties by Morocco — their worst ever result at the tournament.

Speaking at a press conference after naming his first squad as Netherlands head coach, Xavi said: “We are in contact with him and Manchester United; he has had a tough period. I have also been in contact with Frenkie de Jong and Xavi Simons recently. We need all players, especially these guys.”

Xavi succeeded Ronald Koeman, who announced his resignation the day after the Netherlands’ World Cup exit — five years after Xavi himself replaced Koeman at Barcelona.

De Ligt has not featured for United since playing the full 90 minutes of a 2-1 Premier League win over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park last November. In total, he has missed 33 club matches and eight international appearances during his absence.

There are, however, encouraging signs. De Ligt was included in the United squad that travelled to Craven Cottage for the club’s final match before the current international break against Fulham. United head coach Michael Carrick, speaking ahead of the Carabao Cup third-round tie against Brighton, offered a cautious update: “Matta’s just working his way back, really, so because of how it’s been, I don’t really want to put too much time frame on it.”

A month earlier, Carrick had been more upbeat, saying De Ligt was “in good shape and moving in a good direction” after returning to training.

With De Ligt unavailable, Xavi has named five recognised central defenders in his Netherlands squad for Nations League fixtures against Germany, Greece and Serbia: Jan Paul van Hecke, Lutsharel Geertruida, Micky van de Ven, Nathan Ake and Virgil van Dijk. Jorrel Hato and Jurrien Timber, both capable of playing centrally, are also included.

De Ligt’s last international appearance came alongside captain Van Dijk in a 4-0 World Cup qualifying win over Lithuania at the Johan Cruyff Arena in Amsterdam — the home ground of his boyhood club Ajax.