Manchester United’s manager, Erik ten Hag, disclosed that the club made unsuccessful attempts to secure the signature of Frenkie de Jong from Barcelona in 2022.
Ten Hag and De Jong previously collaborated for two years at Ajax, where they clinched the Eredivisie title and advanced to the semi-finals of the Champions League.
United’s interest in the Dutch midfielder began before his lucrative transfer to Barcelona in 2019. Despite renewed efforts after Ten Hag’s arrival at the club, a deal never came to fruition.
“It would have been Frenkie de Jong and Casemiro [in midfield]. They would really be connected with each other.
“They would be really complementary to each other. That’s a typical player, if you want to play the Ajax style, you need that type of player,” Ten Hag told Gary Neville in an interview with Sky Sports.
