's struggles this season are not a surprise, according to . The Dutch international has given a damning verdict on his team's performance, as they sit in 14th place in the and have been knocked out of both the and .

De Ligt stated: "I wouldn't call it a shock. What I said, obviously, you would have expected a little bit better the way it is at the moment. But, yes, it's the Premier League where you're playing. And the Premier League is, you can't be at 99 per cent every day because then you lose games against the teams that are in the Premier League. So, obviously, this season, in a lot of games, we haven't been good enough. So we know that."

Despite their poor domestic form, United have fared better in the , and De Ligt remains hopeful for their upcoming clash with Real Sociedad.

He concluded: "We try to improve as a team, try to improve as an individual, which also is really important, I think. And then, in the end, it has also sometimes a little bit to do with luck also, I think. But we all know that we have to improve and to become better.

"But I'm now talking about the Premier League. [Real Sociedad] is another chance to show our worth in a European competition. Until now, we haven't lost a game. So hopefully we can keep it that way and get a good result."

The 25-year-old arrived at Old Trafford in a deal worth £38.5million from Bayern Munich over the summer and has since made 35 appearances in all competitions.

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