Should Manchester United Be Pursuing A Deal For FC Barcelona’s Frenkie De Jong?

With Erik Ten Hag being formally announced as Manchester United’s next manager, reports will be rife over the club’s transfer activity come the summer months.

Ralf Rangnick, who currently operates the interim manager’s position, has been beyond vocal in expressing how a revolution is needed this summer, with five senior players out of contract this summer.

Those five, whom include: Paul Pogba, Edinson Cavani, Nemanja Matić, Jesse Lingard and Juan Mata, will potentially be joined by a number of other players. It is known privately that Manchester United are open to offers on: Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Alex Telles, Phil Jones, Eric Bailly and Dean Henderson.

It is unlikely that all of those players mentioned will be leaving, but certainly a fair number will need to be replaced, on top of what is already a rather extensive list of malnourished positions on the pitch.

One of those is in the centre of midfield. Rangnick has advised that at least two midfielders come in to provide much-needed energy and aggression in the middle of the pitch.

A defensive midfielder of elite quality is absolutely essential, for the Red Devils have been lacking one for many years and having to use stop-gap fillers to get by.

And for this reason, along with Ten Hag coming to Old Trafford, will the name Frenkie de Jong be pinging around Manchester United fans’ forums. A player of exceptional quality, reports are suggesting that the Spanish side are open to offers of around £65 million for the Dutchman.

At 24, de Jong fits the age profile that Manchester United should be looking at this summer, as well as the talent and physicality. While he might have had a dip in form recently, no one can question his undeniable talent and panache he has in midfield.

When Ajax were at their scintillating best under Ten Hag in 2018-19, de Jong was in the engine room, allowing others to shine while he was holding the pieces together. A true team player, he is a player that Manchester United are so desperately missing.

The Red Devils need a cultural change among just players inside the club, with Rangnick alluding to that on more than one occasion. While it has not gone brilliantly well in terms of performances and results, Manchester United fans will forever be grateful to the German coach for his very public dissection of the team’s current status.

Ten Hag will be walking into a dressing room that is incredibly low on confidence and stumbling along. The most important part of his job in the short term will be the rebuilding job needed this summer.

If Manchester United have real hopes of returning to the top of English football, they have to be absolutely ruthless this summer and begin to recruit properly around Ten Hag’s style of play. They can make a good start to this by bringing in fellow countryman de Jong.