Erik ten Hag

Erik ten Hag reveals he wanted Frenkie de Jong at Manchester United in 2022

Sachin Bhat

The manager was keen on De Jong and Casemiro’s midfield partnership

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has revealed that he wanted to bring Frenkie de Jong to Old Trafford from Barcelona in 2022. The Dutchman had been linked with the Red Devils in the past but a move was never materialized.

The midfield has been a problem for Ten Hag, as Mason Mount and Sofyan Amrabat haven’t lived up to their potential at United, and the Dutchman has now admitted that he was keen on bringing De Jong to Manchester United. He said:

“It would have been Frenkie de Jong and Casemiro. They would really be connected with each other. They would be really complementary to each other. That’s a typical player, if you want to play the Ajax style, you need that type of player. But in the last decade and in this period, we couldn’t always get the players we wanted. You have to accept that”.

De Jong would have been a vital addition to United’s set-up given his talents. The Athletic had revealed that an initial fee of £63 million was agreed, but the deal couldn’t be brought over the line. Ten Hag is personally a fan of De Jong too, having labeled him an ‘incredible’ player as the pair worked together at Ajax.

Manchester United to miss out on Champions League next season?

Sixth in the Premier League table with just 54 points from 34 games, Manchester United are likely to miss out on Champions League football next season. That would be a truly disappointing return for a club that spent over £100 million last summer in player recruitment. Having finished third in Ten Hag’s first season in charge, bigger things were expected this season, such as competing for the title itself, but the Red Devils have clearly fallen well short of that.

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