Confirmed: Man Utd target bargain defender amid mystery De Ligt injury

Updated: 9 May 2026 10:35 BST | 4 min read

Matthijs de Ligt, Man Utd, 2025/26 — © IMAGO

Tom Weber | Writer

Multilingual sports writer who specialises in European football and American soccer.

Manchester United have continued their monitoring of Elche defender David Affengruber amid concerns over Matthijs de Ligt's fitness.

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The Netherlands international looked on course to become the Red Devils' iron man this season. De Ligt played the full 90 minutes in every Premier League game until he was stopped in his tracks by a back injury in November.

He hasn't been seen since, with updates on his well-being few and far between. The Athletic's Man Utd correspondent Laurie Whitwell recently described his problem as a bit of a mystery injury.

Current ETV

Matthijs de Ligt

D (CR)

Man Utd

Matthijs de Ligt

D (CR)

Man Utd

ETV Range

€44.3M - €54.2M

Back issues are notoriously difficult to suss out, and there is no exact timeline for when De Ligt will be deemed fully match fit again. He is in team training, but there have been suggestions that Man Utd could opt to rest him for the final three games of the season.

De Ligt will, however, influence the club's summer planning. It was recently revealed that Man Utd will make the decision of whether or not to sign a new centre-back dependent on the Dutchman and Lisandro Martinez proving their fitness.

Man Utd interest in Affengruber confirmed

While it is still up in the air if Man Utd will end up bringing in a fresh face, the club's recruitment department isn't being idle. Micky van de Ven has been suggested as one potential option, while FootballTransfers understands that Castello Lukeba is also a target.

Both will be quite expensive, so Man Utd are looking at more left-field options as well. One such option is Elche defender David Affengruber, who was already linked with the Red Devils in December.

The Austria international has been a standout performer for the promoted LaLiga side. He is among the Spanish top flight's most prolific ball-winners and has seen his Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) rise from around €3 million to €10.2m over the course of the season.

Sky Germany has now confirmed that Man Utd are still scouting the 25-year-old, who has been described as a "silent leader" by Elche's sporting director. However, competition for his signature could be fierce.

AC Milan, Atletico Madrid, Juventus and Sevilla are explicitly named as other suitors, while Affengruber is also fielding interest from the Bundesliga. With his contract expiring next year, it is likely that he will be on the move this summer.

Indeed, reporter Florian Plettenberg states that a transfer is fully expected. According to data analytics firm SciSports, Affengruber would be a good stylistic fit for Man Utd, though there would be concerns over his game time.

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