Matthias De Ligt (24, Bayern Munich) has been given the opportunity to fill in for Kim Min-jae, who has been out for a while, and he’s been working tirelessly to make the most of it.
The German ‘Aventurer Zeitung’ reported on July 7 (KST), “The Munich squad has a day off today. Nevertheless, De Ligt remained at the training center today to continue his fitness training.”
De Ligt joined Munich from Juventus in the summer of 2022 for €70 million including add-ons. He signed a five-year contract that runs through the summer of 2027. His weekly wages also put him on the high earners list.
Last season, he was a regular starter. He played 31 Bundesliga games, seven Champions League games, four DFB-Pokal games, and one German Super Cup game. He formed a center back line with Dayo Upamecano to win the Bundesliga title.
This season, he’s been a perfect fit. Kim Min-jae, who has been a revelation for Napoli this summer, has joined the competition. Add to that De Ligt’s frequent injuries, and Munich coach Thomas Tuchel opted for a lineup with Kim and the right-back.
De Ligt recently made a successful comeback from injury. He suffered a calf injury in preseason, a knee injury against Bochum in the fifth round of the Bundesliga, and a partially torn medial ligament in his knee against Saarbrücken in the second round of the DFB-Pokal. In time, he made his comeback against Wolfsburg in round 16 and started the friendly against Basel during the winter break.
On the 7th local time, training was scheduled, but it was snowing in Munich and the outdoor training grounds were unusable. De Ligt was given the day off, and he stayed in the training center alone to work on his fitness. With a Bundesliga match against Hoffenheim on the 13th, he was eager to get as fit as possible.
Der Licht’s shoulders are heavy. Munich will be without Kim Min-jae for about a month. Kim has been called up to the Asian Cup in Qatar and won’t be back until the 10th of next month if they reach the final. Until then, Munich will have to use the De Ligt and Upamecano combination.
With so many important games coming up, the defense will need to hold up well. De Ligt, in particular, needs to take care of himself to avoid further injury.