Manchester United centre back Matthijs De Ligt reckons the club will have to rebuild after a horrible previous season. The Red Devils had finished the last edition of the Premier League in 15th place after 11 wins, 9 draws and 18 losses.
United have kickstarted their preseason tour with a 2-1 victory over West Ham at MetLife Stadium on Saturday. Bruno Fernandes scored a brace for the club.
The Old Trafford-based club had failed to come up with consistent performances in the previous season. Ruben Amorim’s team also suffered a 1-0 loss against Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League final and ended their season without any silverware.
“I think after a season like that, it’s normal to have to build your confidence,” De Ligt said as quoted by ESPN.
“So that’s why I think a win [against West Ham] is really important. I think with winning, you become more confident. You start to believe more in what you’re doing.”
The Dutch defender said they are looking forward to giving their best in the upcoming season after a disappointing run in the previous season.
“Last season is last season; new season, new season,” De Ligt said. “There’s a lot of positivity now in the camp. Also, some new players. We have a lot of time to train now. So that aspect is really, really important now.
“We are all unhappy with our performances last season. We owe it also to ourselves to play much better. hopefully we can give the fans a lot more joy this season.”
United could have qualified for the UEFA Champions League if they had won against the Lilywhites in the Europa League final.
“I think if you use the time well, it can definitely be an advantage,” De Ligt said. “Obviously, as a football player, you want to play as much as possible. So it’s a shame we are not in Europe.
“But I think if you saw the last season, also in the Premier League, some teams were in the Champions League, had a difficult season in the Premier League.
“So I think if we use the time well, if we train every day at maximum, we can make it our advantage.”
United will next take on Bournemouth on Wednesday.
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