Manchester United have kicked off their pre-season training with all the senior players who were not part of the World Cup campaign currently training at Carrington.

Among them is Matthijs de Ligt, who missed the latter half of the previous season due to a back injury.

As the Netherlands national team did not include him in their squad, the 26-year-old opted to undergo back surgery, which will keep him out for a significant part of the early stages of the upcoming season.

The Dutch defender has yet to play under Michael Carrick, but he is showing strong determination to regain full fitness, dedicating himself to his rehabilitation programme.

According to reports from The Manchester Evening News, the former Bayern Munich defender is currently training at United’s newly upgraded Carrington facility, following a specialised individual programme.

“There was no sign of Matthijs de Ligt in the photos United released of players returning to pre-season training on Thursday, but the centre-back is back at Carrington and is following an individual programme as he continues to recover from back surgery.

“The 26-year-old has done rehabilitation work abroad since his operation in May, but he has also spent time at Carrington during the summer to maintain his fitness levels.”

The Red Devils are reportedly pleased with the progress of De Ligt’s recovery and believe the most difficult phase of his rehabilitation is now behind him.

“There is confidence that his back issue is behind him after surgery,” the MEN report further stated.

While the club’s current focus remains on strengthening the midfield, manager Michael Carrick will be aware that another injury at the back could leave his defensive unit vulnerable.

It has come as a surprise that INEOS have no immediate plans to bring in additional defensive reinforcements, especially considering the recent injury records of Lisandro Martinez, Luke Shaw, and Harry Maguire.

The 20-time English league champions will hope that their defenders remain fit until Matthijs de Ligt makes his full return to competitive action.