There were some signs of the transfer speculation affecting 19-year-old Matthijs de Ligt as he made a vital error in Netherland’s Nations League clash with England. Marcus Rashford gave the England team the lead from the spot after Matthijs de Ligt lunged in late to trip the Manchester United striker in the box.
However, De Ligt made up for his mistake with a bullet header in the second half to level. Before Jesse Lingard thought he had won it only to see his cool finish ruled out by VAR for offside.
De Ligt spoke to the press after the game. “The penalty action was very silly and I know it very well. I received a ball from De Roon and my intention was to play the ball with Cillessen, but I was late, it was very stupid because I should not have sent the ball to the goalkeeper. I’m very demanding with myself and I had to compensate that error.”
The Netherlands boss Ronaldo Koeman added. “It’s great he corrected his own mistake and headed the equalizer. It shows we all make mistakes. I don’t know what Matthijs was thinking but maybe we will have a chat later.”
The Ajax defender is one of the most sought-after players in the world after a wonderful season in Amsterdam. Reports suggest that the Dutch player will make a choice between Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain with Manchester United set to miss out on his signature.
He looked set to join former teammate Frenkie de Jong at the Nou Camp before he made more demands for his wages. PSG have now emerged as front-runners thanks to the efforts of former sporting director Leonardo, who is due to return to the club after a six-year absence after leaving AC Milan.