Matthijs De Ligt

De Ligt (back) was spotted running on the grass in soccer boots alongside the physio, marking an encouraging step forward in his recovery from the injury that has sidelined him since November, the club posted.

De Ligt (back) remains in rehabilitation and is not yet training on grass, leaving him several weeks away from a return, according to coach Michael Carrick. "Treatment and rehab. The reason he didn't come [to Ireland] is he's not quite on the grass. Patrick came back because he's further on, but Matta isn't quite at this stage yet. So it was important for him to continue his rehab, really, and try and get him back. There's nothing else around it."

De Ligt (back) is still absent from the team's work during their training camp in Dublin.

De Ligt (back) is working on his comeback and is still at least a few weeks away from returning, according to manager Mickael Carrick. "He's obviously trying to work to get back, but it's just the back issue, really, that's proving difficult. We'll keep working as hard as we can to get him back as quickly as we can."

De Ligt (back) is still working toward a return and will likely not be ready for another few weeks to a month, according to manager Michael Carrick. "Matthijs, he's had a back issue which has been slower to progress. It's something we've been working through, and he's getting there. He's in the right direction, but just further behind. It's part of football, unfortunately, so we'll get him back when we can. It's just the nature of the issue, really. It's a difficult one to pin down a timeline. He's definitely improving, so we're just working towards that really. I can't give you more at this stage."