Jamie Carragher can't resist fresh dig at Matthijs de Ligt moments after Man Utd howlers

Manchester United threw away a two-goal lead against Porto in the Europa League on Thursday, with £43million signing Matthijs de Ligt among their worst performers at the Estadio de Dragao

Jamie Carragher joined the pile-on as Matthijs de Ligt endured a nightmare performance in Manchester United's dramatic 3-3 draw with Porto.

United comfortably took an early two-goal lead but Erik ten Hag's rudderless side managed to squander it before half-time. Fans and pundits pointed the finger at £43million signing De Ligt for his role in Pepe's goal to make it 2-1, Samu Omorodion's equaliser and then the Porto striker's second goal of the night.

Omorodion, who almost signed for Chelsea this summer, got ahead of the Dutch centre-back to beat Andre Onana and put the hosts 3-2 up. Carragher promptly took to X after the goal went in and retweeted a video of his own analysis from earlier this week.

For Sky Sports, Carragher used clips to argue that De Ligt's inclusion in the team since his August move from Bayern Munich was causing United problems in defence. The 25-year-old enjoyed success under Ten Hag at former club Ajax, captaining them as a teenager as they reached the Champions League semi-finals in 2019.

But De Ligt has struggled so far for the Red Devils and he was subbed off for Harry Maguire as 10-man United - who'd seen captain Bruno Fernandes sent off - searched for a late equaliser in Portugal. Ten Hag's change worked just in the nick of time, as Maguire rose highest at a corner and made it 3-3 with only three minutes remaining.

Carragher isn't the only pundit to be skeptical of the move for De Ligt, as ex-Red Devils midfielder Paul Scholes recently told Premier League Productions: "When you bring players in, you expect them to be a lot better than who you've already got.

Get involved! Will Matthijs de Ligt prove his critics wrong at Man Utd? Have your say in the comments section.

"I don't see players coming in who are a big difference. De Ligt has come in for Maguire, let's say, but there's no big difference there. These are experienced players who United have paid a lot of money for.

"We need to stop hearing excuses and get on that training pitch and find a way of playing. Find something, give us something!" Asked if De Ligt was an improvement on Maguire, who Ten Hag has frequently tried to replace since becoming United manager, Scholes replied: "No, absolutely not."

Whether it's Maguire or De Ligt who gets the nod against Aston Villa on Sunday, the result could be crucial for Ten Hag's future as manager. The Red Devils have gone three games without a win and lost four of their 10 games in all competitions, piling the pressure on the United boss.

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