Man United could sign “one of the best midfielders” around to partner Mainoo who has played under Ten Hag before

Man United could sign “one of the best midfielders” around to partner Mainoo who has played under Ten Hag before

One of the most intense things about football off the pitch is transfer sagas. Manchester United, like every club, have been involved in them, and they are sometimes enthralling to keep up with as a supporter, especially if they happen within a short space of time.

One of the most intense transfer sagas of all time was when United resigned Cristiano Ronaldo from Juventus in 2021, for an initial fee of £12.9m, all of which happened within the space of a few days.

The legendary striker revealed he was close to joining United’s biggest rivals Manchester City before a phone call from his former manager Sir Alex Ferguson helped to ensure he returned to the red side of Manchester rather than betray his former club and join City.

On the other hand, you can have transfer sagas such as the Jadon Sancho deal to join Manchester United.

That was a saga that was drawn out for well over one year, and it took Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s side a long time to get the deal over the line.

Originally, they wanted to sign the English winger in 2020 but had to settle for the deal in 2021, paying Borussia Dortmund £73m.

Frenkie de Jong’s career in numbers
The man in question here is former Ajax midfielder Frenkie de Jong, now a key player for Xavi’s Barcelona side.

In 2022, there was a rumour that United had agreed on a deal with Barcelona to sign Ten Hag’s former midfielder, but De Jong’s reluctancy over the move ended up preventing the deal from going through.

Now, as the 2024 summer transfer draws ever nearer, a report from a publication in Spain says United are still interested in bringing De Jong to Old Trafford, and that they are “prepared in case there is the opportunity to sign him”.

United are not the only club interested, according to the report, with PSG also thought to be keen on signing De Jong should the chance arise.

The midfielder has played a starring role for Barca this season, featuring in 30 of their games, sometimes at centre-back, and scoring twice.

He also has a superb relationship with Ten Hag, his manager at Ajax. The United boss helped De Jong to break through and put his name up in lights for one of Europe’s biggest clubs, playing 59 times under the current United boss in total.

According to Fbref, De Jong averages 3.80 progressive carries per 90 minutes, which ranks him in the top 8% of La Liga midfielders, and 2.86 carries into the final third per 90 minutes, which places him in the top 3% amongst midfielders in Spain’s top flight.

He is one of the most press-resistant players in world football, able to receive the ball on the half turn and glide past opponents.

The former Ajax midfielder’s progressive passing numbers are even better, averaging 9.25 progressive passes per 90 minutes, which ranks him in the top 2%, 0.66 through balls per 90 minutes, which places him in the top 3%, and 10.3 passes into the final third per 90 minutes, which ranks him in the top 1% of La Liga midfielders. De Jong’s line-breaking passes are so simple, yet so effective, and he can progress play with ease.