Aheed Abrar
Ryan Babel feels Manchester United a “step down” for the Netherlands and Barcelona star Frenkie de Jong
Liverpool cult hero Ryan Babel feels Manchester United would be a “step down” for the Netherlands and Barcelona star Frenkie de Jong. The Dutch national has advised his compatriot against a move to the Red Devils for now.
In the recent transfer window, the Old Trafford side had agreed to a deal with the Blaugrana for the 25-year-old. However, the midfielder rejected the move. But the Manchester-based club are still interested in him.
Speaking to MyBettingSites (h/t Metro), Babel, who currently plays for Turkish club Eyupspor and played in England with Liverpool, believes United would not suit De Jong at the moment.
“For Frenkie I would not recommend United in all honesty. At least not today. He needs a team that wants to play football, proper football on the ground.
“Yes, Man United has a coach that eventually if he has the right players can do that. They have so far have shown signs that Erik ten Hag knows what to do, but by far it is not the level as what he has done in Ajax.
“So for Frenkie personally, if you go from Barcelona to United, I think that is a step down.”
The 25-year-old played under Erik ten hag at Ajax. The pair were relatively successful together in Amsterdam. De Godenzonene famously made it to the semi-finals of the Champions League in the 2018/19 season.
De Jong joined Barcelona in the summer of 2019 after impressing at Ajax. The Holland international quickly became an important player for the Blaugrana. He developed into a brilliant box-to-box player under Ronald Koeman.
However, with the arrival of Xavi in the Camp Nou dugout, initially, the 25-year-old found it hard to get into the Spanish manager’s plans. The likes of Sergio Busquets, Pedri and Gavi have provided the midfielder with a lot of competition.
But in the last few months at Barcelona, De Jong has found his place in the La Liga outfit’s starting lineup. The 25-year-old has also thrived at the World Cup with the Netherlands.
United’s middle of the park has three stalwarts who have cemented their place in the team. Casemiro, Christian Eriksen and Bruno Fernandes have been impressive as a trio this season.
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However, the Red Devils’ bench strength seems to be lacking. If we are to have ambitions of fighting for titles, then we need players of De Jong’s quality in our squad.
