Matthijs de Ligt has faced intense scrutiny following two recent subpar performances for the Netherlands in their Nations League fixtures. After a significant mistake that led to a goal in a 5-2 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina, De Ligt was critiqued again for errors in the 2-2 draw against Germany. Both Virgil van Dijk and Ronald Koeman have emphasized the need for De Ligt to learn from these mistakes, with Koeman stating he substituted De Ligt to protect him from further criticism. Despite the rough patch, De Ligt has denied joining Manchester United solely to reunite with former Ajax manager Erik ten Hag, highlighting the club's stature as a key reason for his move. Meanwhile, Koeman has also faced criticism for other squad decisions, such as dropping Joshua Zirkzee despite his strong performance against Bosnia.