Matthijs de Ligt progresses in recovery, targets return for next season

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.”

That was de Ligt’s own assessment, posted to social media after undergoing corrective back surgery on May 15, 2026.

World Cup dreams shelved

The most painful casualty of this timeline is the 2026 World Cup. The Netherlands will head into the tournament without one of their most experienced defenders. Surgery in mid-May means the recovery window lands squarely over the summer tournament window.

What this means for Manchester United

Manchester United have essentially operated without de Ligt for an entire half-season already. The club confirmed the expected return timeline as the early stages of the 2026-27 campaign, with pre-season fitness being the primary benchmark.

Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.