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Manchester United centre-back Matthijs de Ligt began the 2025/26 season as a guaranteed starter under then-head coach Ruben Amorim. The Dutch player was outstanding in defence, alternating between the central and right centre-back roles whenever required.

His consistent displays earned him United’s Player of the Month award for November. However, the 26-year-old has not featured since early December due to a back injury that eventually required surgery after conservative treatment failed to yield results.

During his recovery, major changes unfolded within the club’s coaching ranks. Ruben Amorim exited after an underwhelming spell, despite spending more than £200 million on new signings the previous summer.

Michael Carrick stepped in as interim manager and guided United to a third-place finish in the Premier League, registering 12 wins from 17 matches. His success secured him the permanent managerial post. De Ligt, on the other hand, is expected to regain full fitness at the start of the next campaign, when a peculiar career pattern is set to continue.

As reported by Flashscore, De Ligt has played under a new manager in every single season of his professional career. In his 11 years in the game, he has had 10 different coaches, with Erik ten Hag being the only one to manage him twice—and that too at separate clubs.

De Ligt rose through Ajax’s youth setup and made his senior debut in 2016 under Peter Bosz. The following year, Bosz was dismissed and replaced by Marcel Keizer.

Keizer’s stint was short-lived as well, and De Ligt found himself under the guidance of Erik ten Hag the next season before moving to Juventus in the summer of 2019. In Turin, the pattern persisted as he featured under Maurizio Sarri, Andrea Pirlo, and Massimiliano Allegri in successive seasons.

In 2022, De Ligt transferred to Bayern Munich, where he began under Julian Nagelsmann. Within a year, Nagelsmann was replaced by Thomas Tuchel, maintaining De Ligt’s unusual streak. The Dutch defender then made the switch to Manchester United at the end of his second season in Germany, seemingly bringing his managerial ‘curse’ with him to Old Trafford.

Ten Hag reunited with De Ligt at the Theatre of Dreams in the summer of 2024 but was dismissed by October, paving the way for Ruben Amorim’s arrival the following month.

Until his injury late last year, De Ligt was a key figure in Amorim’s setup. Reports from The Peoples Person have indicated that United have no plans to sell the defender this summer, despite his injury setbacks.

This means that when De Ligt returns to the pitch next season, he will do so under Michael Carrick—extending his streak of playing under a new boss every season. Supporters will be hoping, though, that Carrick can finally put an end to this odd record.

Although United’s defence showed marked improvement under Carrick, vulnerabilities still exist. De Ligt was a defensive cornerstone under Amorim, and fans will hope that his return can reinforce the team’s backline as they aim for stability and success under the Englishman.