The Dutchman made 42 appearances in his debut season for The Red Devils, having joined from Bayern Munich in August 2024. However, De Ligt played just two minutes in two games for the Netherlands during the recent international break which comes after his place under manager Ruben Amorim is slowly slipping away.
Stam worked with De Ligt as a young defender during his time at Ajax and spoke with Algemeen Dagblad about how the experienced centre back is missing a lot from his performances which he witnessed at the Dutch side.
"Against Arsenal, Matthijs was traditionally strong and accurate. The tricky thing at United is that it’s hard to see what’s expected of defenders. It’s often a deadlock. The conditions to excel aren’t really created. You can’t really talk about potential anymore. Matthijs is smart and mature and should be a key player by now.
"I sometimes miss the confidence in defence and in the build-up that he had at Ajax. But I’m sure he still has that. Sometimes you’re insecure because of what’s happening in front of you. I know that feeling.
“Always covering for you and expecting the same in return but not getting it. Then he goes back to the basics, even though he’s a fantastic defender who keeps going. I hope he continues this trend, and we’ll see the old Matthijs again."
The Dutch defender was nominated for the club’s Player of the Month award for August but many like Stam believe he has struggled to master the basics at United in what has been a tough few years in the Premier League under multiple managers.