Manchester United have confirmed their squad for the pre-season friendly against Leeds United in Dublin, with Matthijs de Ligt surprisingly included despite his ongoing recovery from back surgery.
De Ligt's recovery and inclusion
The Netherlands international remains on schedule with his rehabilitation following an operation three months ago, though he is not expected to be match fit until the opening weeks of the new Premier League campaign. Despite being unable to train or feature, De Ligt was among nine United players who departed Manchester for Dublin on Sunday to join the 22 players who had made the journey from Gothenburg on Sunday evening.
Squad news and fitness assessments
Lisandro Martinez will touch down on Monday, meaning Manuel Ugarte is the sole first-team squad member absent from the camp. He is still recovering from surgery on a significant knee injury suffered during the World Cup. The squad enjoyed a leisurely day on Sunday, but the opening training session of the week will take place today (Monday). Kobbie Mainoo and Marcus Rashford will undergo fitness assessments and may participate in group training tomorrow (Tuesday).
Reason for De Ligt's travel
De Ligt has been a familiar presence at Carrington this summer as he continues working towards full fitness. The five-day camp at Carton House in County Kildare is the one major excursion in United's pre-season, and Michael Carrick wanted the squad to be united, with some team-building activities arranged. That is why De Ligt has been included and he will continue spending time with the squad throughout the week. He was absent from the training camp at the same location in April while working towards a comeback before the season's conclusion.
De Ligt's injury timeline
The £42.8million centre-half hasn't featured since late November, having been a starter in every Premier League fixture last season up until that juncture. He delayed surgery for much of last term in an attempt to return before the campaign's end and demonstrate his fitness ahead of the World Cup. When that became unachievable, he underwent the procedure in May in an effort to resolve the back problem once and for all.
