Premier League cult hero who's 20kg overweight claims he's better than Matthijs de Ligt

Matthijs de Ligt has struggled since joining Manchester United from Bayern Munich successful the summertime and was astatine responsibility for 2 of Porto's goals successful Thursday's Europa League clash

Premier League cult leader David Wheater has slammed Matthijs de Ligt and insisted helium would play amended than the struggling Manchester United prima contempt being 20kg overweight.

Wheater graduated from Middlesbrough's academy, earlier going connected to marque much than 470 elder appearances crossed spells astatine the Teesiders, Bolton Wanderers, Oldham Athletic and Darlington.

The erstwhile defender besides earned 11 England Under-21 caps earlier retiring successful September 2023 aft suffering a fig of injuries. In retirement, helium is inactive keeping a adjacent oculus connected shot and watched United's Europa League clash with Porto connected Thursday night.

It was different hard evening for the Dutchman, who was astatine responsibility for 2 of Porto's goals. First, helium failed to wide the shot and was beaten by Samu Omorodion to a transverse astatine the adjacent post.

He past failed to grip Omorodion's question for the Porto star's 2nd extremity of the night. Those failings saw United propulsion distant a 2 extremity pb to way the Portuguese broadside 3-2, earlier De Ligt and his centre-back spouse Lisandro Martinez were replaced successful the 79th minute.

United would spell connected to salvage a gully acknowledgment to De Ligt's replacement Harry Maguire's precocious goal. But it was De Ligt's mediocre show which caught Wheater's attention, with the erstwhile Bolton prima taking purpose astatine the Dutchman.

Midway done the second-half of Thursday's Europa League clash, Wheater took to Twitter to write: "I’m amended than De Ligt astatine this precise infinitesimal and I'm 20kg overweight and a dodgy ankle."

HAVE YOUR SAY! Should Manchester United driblet Matthijs de Ligt? Comment below.

Wheater is not the archetypal erstwhile Premier League prima to instrumentality purpose astatine De Ligt's performances. Liverpool fable Jamie Carragher blasted the defender pursuing United's decision to Tottenham, singling him retired for his mediocre positioning.

"I've noticed this with De Ligt and a batch of centre-backs, I don't recognize wherefore they don't capable the abstraction and travel over. The striker conscionable down him has got thing to bash with him, that is Martinez's job," Carragher told Sky Sports.

"If De Ligt goes over, Martinez comes across. He looks implicit his enarthrosis here, hide that! Forget it. Get present [the abstraction Micky van de Ven runs into]. This is simply a superb run, amazing. But Van de Ven runs due to the fact that helium sees the space.

"Listen, the fullback gets caught retired astatine the backmost post, we spot him with his manus up. Again I privation to spell to De Ligt. This sums Manchester United up implicit the past 2 oregon 3 years. Pressing and ever being late.

"They're locked successful here, you've got the beforehand 3 of Tottenham locking successful the backmost 4 and you person him present free. There's 2 men connected 1 player. De Ligt should already beryllium over. We tally it connected and conscionable look astatine De Ligt flying across, flying into the challenge.

"It comes from his starting position. I tin speech astir United's midfield, moving astatine the backmost four. But where's De Ligt? The right-back's travel up and look wherever De Ligt is. You've got to get over. So successful each concern successful the first-half, De Ligt, a subordinate they brought successful for immense money, is wholly retired of position."

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