Matthijs de Ligt can follow Harry Maguire blueprint at Man United after Netherlands nightmare

It is fair to say Manchester United defender Matthijs de Ligt's international break did not go according to plan.

After failing to step onto the pitch at any point during the Netherlands' run to the semi-finals of the European Championship during the summer, his move to United last month offered him the opportunity to force his way back into boss Ronald Koeman's thinking.

After making his first start for United in the 3-0 defeat to Liverpool earlier this month, he made his first appearances for the Netherlands since their penultimate warm up match ahead of the Euros by starting Saturday's 5-2 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina in the UEFA Nations League.

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Despite the Netherlands recording what turned out to be a comfortable victory, De Ligt was guilty of committing two errors that led to Bosnia scoring either side of half-time. It was fair to say the United defender was not happy with his performance.

He said: "I think you know how I feel. We won, but then comes the individual part - I should have done better at their second goal, and I know that.

"I don't really know what happened. I should have cleared the ball but I kept having doubts during the play. It's just f****d.

"If this game is a missed opportunity for me? I don't know, I just try to do my best."

Fortunately for De Ligt, he kept his place for Tuesday night's 2-2 draw with Germany in Amsterdam. However, he was at fault once again, needlessly giving the ball away in the build-up to Germany's opener. It resulted in him being hooked at half-time by Koeman.

Addressing his decision to take De Ligt off at the interval,