Transfer news: Man united trio can give Erik ten Hag what he wanted from Frenkie de Jong transfer

Transfer news: Man united trio can give Erik ten Hag what he wanted from Frenkie de Jong transfer

Frenkie de Jong publicly rebuffed Man United last summer and the club have made five new signings since then to bolster their midfield.

Manchester United desperately tried to sign Frenkie de Jong last summer.

Frenkie de Jong was meant to be a one-stop fix for Manchester United in the engine room.

However, after their garishly public chase for the Barcelona playmaker failed last summer, United have signed five midfielders including deadline day addition Sofyan Amrabat.

The question is does Erik ten Hag finally have what he wanted from his former Ajax protégé in the first instance?

As fate would have it, Ten Hag did get to reunite with De Jong last season. However, that was from the other side as United played Barcelona in the Europa League over two legs.

Naturally, those two failed attempts to bring the all-action 26-year-old Netherlands midfielder to Old Trafford last summer took centre stage during media formalities. Ten Hag took one such opportunity to shower De Jong as if to remind United what they had missed out on.

The truth behind Erik ten Hag’s Jonny Evans situation
Want to join our MUFC Pro club for a totally ad-free version of the MEN’s dedicated Manchester United FC app packed with premium features? Click here.

“Frenkie is an incredible player and, every club in the whole world, he will strengthen the squad because he has a unique quality,” said Ten Hag, without holding back.

“If you can get him in the squad your team will be stronger. In Spain he became even better [than when they were together at Ajax].

“He’s a fantastic player, plays out from the back. He always has time and it was a pleasure to work with him.”

From seemingly having no part to play at all, De Jong did (re) prove himself to Xavi last season along their way to winning yet another La Liga crown.

However, his importance at Camp Nou has been underlined even further since the great Sergio Busquets left and faded away to the MLS with Lionel Messi at Inter Miami.

The transfer window will soon close and although United got their hands on three players well in advance of the September 1 deadline, with Rasmus Hojlund joining Mason Mount and Andre Onana at Old Trafford, activity has stalled since Hojlund’s announcement.

A goalkeeper, a midfielder and a striker were Erik ten Hag’s priorities heading into the summer window, but injuries early on in the season mean United are in need of further reinforcements.

Our team of experts will be on top of all the goings-on at Old Trafford for the remainder of the window and beyond, and you can get the latest updates and inside information to your phone by joining our new free WhatsApp community below.

De Jong has stepped into the Busquets role in a that four-man midfield box system preferred by Xavi in Catalonia.

After four games, this season, the Dutchman is the only player across the division to top 400 passes (451), coupled with a staggering 93.79 per cent completion rate that, once again, makes him the top dog in Spain.

He also has the most progressive carries (94) and ball recoveries (36). You get the picture.

Those statistics underline why Ten Hag and United tried so desperately to sign him, but the crucial fact is De Jong wouldn’t budge at that particular juncture, and a contingency plan had to be created.

After five arrivals amounting to £120million-plus, United might finally be in a position to give Ten Hag what he craved from De Jong.

Casemiro, Amrabat and Bruno Fernandes are specialists in particular metrics De Jong has, seemingly, been able to master on his own in this modern Barcelona team. United, though, will spread out their duties as Ten Hag starts to shape a midfield triangle that will, for now, make him forget about De Jong