De Ligt emerged as the winner of the fan poll on the United App, finishing ahead of Bruno Fernandes and Amad to claim the award for the first time since joining the club in July 2024.
The Netherlands defender has been in impressive form at the centre of the Reds’ defence and values the support – the last defender to win the honour was his former Ajax and Bayern colleague, Noussair Mazraoui, a year ago.
“It’s obviously really nice to get the recognition from the fans, and get the award,” Matthijs said in his exclusive chat with club media.
“I think we’re doing well. We’re improving as a team. With myself I’m also quite happy.
“I’m trying to do my job as good as possible and to get the recognition from that is always nice. I try to keep improving to help the team even more.”
One of his standout moments this season was his dramatic late equaliser against Spurs, where he slipped away from the defenders and headed past Guglielmo Vicario at the far post.
But he also highlighted Sunday’s comeback win at Crystal Palace, where the Reds overturned a deficit to secure all three points at Selhurst Park.
“I have to say the win against Palace last weekend was really nice, because it was such an important win for us,” he noted.
“I try to see it game by game but obviously scoring a goal as a defender is always nice.”
De Ligt’s strong November was boosted further by his return to the national team, starting for the Netherlands in their 4-0 victory over Lithuania, which sealed qualification for next summer’s World Cup.
He views his selection as a reflection of his performances during the 2025/26 campaign and hopes to maintain his momentum.
“I think it’s a coincidence of doing well with your club, so with that I’m really happy,” said Matthijs.
“It’s good to help the Netherlands national team. It’s always something that is really important to me, so yeah above all it was a really good month.
“Hopefully I can continue like this and, in the end, it’s all about the end of the season. Now it’s just the beginning, the start, so hopefully I can continue like that and improve even more.”