Glenn Fernandes
Frenkie de Jong states that he is happy at Barcelona amidst links to Manchester United
In an interview with The Guardian (h/t Manchester Evening News), Dutch midfielder Frenkie de Jong spoke about his future at Barcelona amidst interest from Manchester United.
The 24-year-old made a sensational €75million switch from Ajax Amsterdam to Barcelona with €11million in possible add-ons in 2019. de Jong was part of the exhilarating Ajax team that defied the odds and managed to reach the semi-final of the 2018-19 UEFA Champions League, only to be bettered by Tottenham Hotspur’s Lucas Moura in the second leg of the tie.
Fast-forward to the present and he has struggled to replicate the kind of form he showed with the Eredivisie club. The Red Devils have been linked with the Dutch midfielder but his latest comments could come as a blow to our ambitions of signing him.
In his latest interview with the Guardian, Frenkie de Jong shed light on the fact that playing for Barcelona was nothing short of a dream come true and that he was delighted to be with the La Liga giants.
“I’m very happy I’m at Barcelona: from a young age I’ve wanted to be here, so in that way, it has been a dream come true. But I would have liked to win more trophies than we did in my first two years. I expected more in that sense, let’s put it that way. But other than that, I’m very happy here and hopefully for many more years.”
What next for Man Utd and de Jong?
The Red Devils already have a huge roster of midfielders in their ranks. That being said, the likes of Jesse Lingard and Paul Pogba are on contracts that will expire in 2022.
And while Bruno Fernandes has been a pivotal figure upfront along with Donny van de Beek impressing in the nascent stages of his loan spell at Everton, a young dynamic midfielder such as Frenkie de Jong could help add more depth in the middle of the park.
Man Utd have struggled to cement their dominance in midfield in recent times and several injury issues have only made a tough task even worse.
Despite not being able to dish out the same kind of performances for the Catalan giants as he did with the Dutch club, at 24, the Netherlands international still has a lot to offer and a long way to go before he truly reaches his peak.
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An able dribbler on the ball and a passing range that is nothing short of quality, de Jong thrives in central midfield for club and country. A move to United, however unlikely it may seem right now, could reunite him with his former Ajax mate in van de Beek.
The latter has struggled horrifically at United when it comes to game time under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and now, Ralf Rangnick. But a reunion may just be what the duo needs to hit the dizzying heights they have been tipped to reach in the past few years.
