Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong was ‘not convinced’ about working with Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag
Frenkie de Jong snubbed Manchester United in the recent transfer window as the Barcelona midfielder was ‘not convinced’ about working with Erik ten Hag, according to Cadena SER (h/t Manchester Evening News).
De Jong had no intentions of leaving the Spotify Camp Nou side. Also, the chance of working with his former Ajax head coach in Manchester did not instill any motivation in the 25-year-old.
The players at Barcelona did not wish to see De Jong leave either. And the Holland international sees a long future for himself with the Catalan giants. The 25-year-old’s family are also settled in Spain.
United failed to make this year’s Champions League. The Red Devils missed out on a top-four finish after a disappointing end to the previous campaign.
The idea of joining United did not enthrall De Jong. Instead, the 25-year-old was keen to play UCL football. Thus, the Holland international ended up staying at Barcelona.
United made a couple of additions to Ten Hag’s midfield in the summer of 2022. Casemiro signed for the Red Devils from Real Madrid. The Brazilian was one of the marquee additions to the team.
Casemiro has the pedigree and reputation of being one of the best defensive midfielders in the game. The 30-year-old has brought with him the experience of winning the biggest trophies in football.
Christian Eriksen also signed for United. The Denmark international has started every game under the Dutch manager. And fans have been left surprised by the 30-year-old’s impact.
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De Jong is an established international. The 25-year-old featured for the Netherlands against Poland in a 2-0 victory in the UEFA Nations League.
While the Holland international has a lot of competition for places at Barcelona, it seems unlikely that De Jong would leave the Blaugrana. However, football can be unpredictable and United are a side that could evidently do with the quality of the 25-year-old in the engine room.