Matthijs de Ligt issues promise to Man Utd fans as verdict shared on summer transfers

Matthijs De Ligt says Manchester United's players owe it to their fans to improve on last season's worst-ever Premier League finish. United ended last season in 15th place, their lowest finish for 15 years, and also missed out on Europe for only the second time in 35 years after losing the Europa League final to Tottenham.

After such a dismal season, United defender De Ligt said Ruben Amorim's players must make it up to their loyal fans, who stood by the team throughout last term, despite such poor results.

“Of course we owe it to them,” said De Ligt. “But I think, first of all, we owe it to ourselves. We were all unhappy with our performances last season, so that's the first thing we have to do.

“We owe it also to ourselves to play much better. And then, obviously, the fans are the most important thing, so hopefully we can give them a lot more joy this season.”

United kicked off their US tour with a 2-1 win over West Ham at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium and De Ligt said winning in pre-season will help build confidence ahead of the new campaign.

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“I think after a season like that, it's normal to have to rebuild your confidence,” said De Ligt. “So that's why I think a win like this is really important.

“I think with winning, you become more confident. You start to believe more in what you're doing. This was a good example of what we can show and hopefully, with this, the group becomes even better."

De Ligt said competing in the Premier League Summer series, with games against West Ham, Bournemouth and Everton, is the ideal way to prepare for the new season.

“I think it was good that we played against a Premier League team," said De Ligt. "They obviously also play at a high pace. So it was good that we showed some things that we want to improve on.

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“We've trained a lot, we've trained hard and I think you also saw what kind of intensity we can bring. We're still at the beginning and we have a lot more potential to show in that respect.

“We've been with the manager for eight months, more or less. Last season was not good enough, we know that, and now we have to find a way to improve.

“We've made some good signings. You saw what Matheus [Cunha] can bring to the team and I liked the mentality we showed - high pressing, a lot of intensity, some chances also. I think we also defended quite well so, overall, I think it was a good performance.

“We're working really hard every day to be at our best for the first game of the new season against Arsenal. Last season is last season. There's a lot of positivity now in the camp and also some new players."

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