Matthijs de Ligt appears to be turning a corner. The Manchester United defender, sidelined since November 30, 2025, shared positive recovery updates from Ibiza on June 16, 2026, signaling that his long road back from corrective back surgery is heading in the right direction.
The target: returning to competitive action in the early stages of the 2026-27 season, ideally in time for pre-season fitness work.
Over 200 days and counting
The Dutch center-back has been out of action for more than 200 days as of mid-2026. The injury first knocked him out on November 30, 2025. What followed was six months of treatment, rehabilitation, and the kind of grinding daily work that never makes the highlight reels.
“After 6 months of treatment and working hard to get back, surgery was the only option left.”
