Man United boss Erik ten Hag says signing Frenkie de Jong would have helped the club play “the Ajax way”
Erik ten Hag seems to be reflecting on missed opportunities for Manchester United, particularly with Frenkie de Jong, who could have brought a touch of the “Ajax way” to Old Trafford. The boss revealed his desire to bring de Jong to United in 2022, envisioning a midfield partnership with Casemiro that could have been formidable.
Here is what he had to say via Fabrizio Romano’s Daily Briefing via Substack [subscription required]:
“Yes, it would have been de Jong and Casemiro playing and complementing each other. But in the last decade and in this period, we couldn’t always get the players we wanted. You have to accept that.”
But let’s face it – De Jong wasn’t exactly keen on swapping Barcelona for Manchester. He turned us down more times than a woodpecker pecks wood per minute, and as much as it hurts, we’ve got to move on from players who need convincing to don the red shirt.
Still, there’s no denying the Dutchman’s quality. The lad’s world-class, through and through. The chance to reunite with his old gaffer from Ajax, this time at United, could have been a dream come true for all involved. But it wasn’t meant to be.
Now, as for playing the “Ajax way,” well, we’ve certainly been trying our best. But instead of echoing the glory days of Ten Hag’s Ajax, we’ve been serving up our own version. We have been playing like this season’s Ajax. They are in fifth in their league, two positions better than United.
Speaking of Ten Hag’s future at the club, well, that’s still up in the air. His stay at the club beyond this season largely depends on how well the club finishes this term. Hopefully, we can win the FA Cup and let’s see what the future holds for the Dutchman at Newton Heath.
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So while De Jong may have slipped through our fingers, there’s plenty of talent out there just waiting to be snapped up. And who knows, maybe one day, we’ll look back on this as a missed opportunity – or maybe, just maybe, we’ll have a whole new set of stars lighting up the Theatre of Dreams possibly under a new boss. Only time will tell.
