Juventus defender Matthijs de Ligt responded to criticism from Marco Van Basten: ‘I always try to improve…’
De Ligt missed the Netherlands’ Euro 2020 debut but played the second game of the group stage against Austria.
However, the former Ajax man, who joined Juventus in 2019, didn’t impress Marco Van Basten.
“De Ligt is the centre back of our defence. He needs to become much more of a leader than he is now,” the ex-Milan striker told NOS channel.
“He went to Italy to learn how to defend more, but I think he didn’t learn much there. He needs to lead the rest much more, and think out loud.”
De Ligt’s reply came on the eve of his national team’s clash against North Macedonia that kicks off today at 5 pm UK time.
“If someone of the calibre of Marco Van Basten criticizes you, then you have to listen to him, hear what he says about you. He too has played in a difficult league like Serie A in the past, so I understand what he meant when he spoke about me,” De Ligt said.
“But sometimes, on the pitch, certain decisions have to be made quickly, in a second. I always work hard to improve during every training session and every game, and I will always do so. I won’t play a perfect game in the immediate future, but I’m working hard to get there one day.”