Man Utd stars left out of the Netherlands squad for Nations League quarter-finals

Manchester United duo Matthijs de Ligt and Joshua Zirkzee suffered a major blow on Friday.

The United pair have been ‘left out’ of the Dutch squad for next month’s Nations League quarter-finals.

The Athletic says this is ‘the first occasion that De Ligt has not been picked in a squad, apart from when he has been injured, since making his international debut in 2017’.

The duo joined the Red Devils last summer but have faced a challenging first season at Old Trafford.

Zirkzee has struggled to make an impact, scoring just five goals in 39 appearances across all competitions.

His last Premier League goal was in December last year in a dominant 4-0 win over Everton.

Manager Ruben Amorim believes Zirkzee is not a striker but someone who can operate behind a traditional number nine.

Despite his struggles in front of goal, the Dutch forward excels at link-up play.

His omission is understandable due to his lack of goals, but De Ligt’s exclusion is a real shock.

The £37 million-rated ace is a former captain of the Netherlands, but a string of errors over the past year has convinced Ronald Koeman to leave him out.

Inter Milan’s Stefan de Vrij is expected to partner Virgil van Dijk in the heart of the backline. Jan Paul van Hecke and Nathan Ake are other alternatives.

De Ligt has produced a few decent performances for United. He offers solidity when playing as a central centre-back but lacks the progressive passing ability of Harry Maguire and Lisandro Martinez.

He is a lethal threat in both boxes, but Amorim needs his centre-backs to be technically sound with the ball at their feet.

The Netherlands will host the first leg against Spain in Rotterdam on March 20 before heading to Valencia for the return fixture three days later.

Stats from Transfermarkt.com.