In advance of the upcoming summer transfer window, it is being reported that Manchester United have rekindled their interest in Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong. Last summer, there was a lot of talk about the Dutchman joining the Red Devils.
However, De Jong, a 25-year-old soccer player who desired to remain at Camp Nou, turned down Erik ten Hag’s team’s offer. That was despite the Blaugrana’s willingness to sell him because of their limited financial resources. Since then, he has played a significant role for Xavi’s team, appearing 31 times in competitions, assisting on two goals.
In advance of the upcoming summer transfer window, it is being reported that Manchester United have rekindled their interest in Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong. Last summer, there was a lot of talk about the Dutchman joining the Red Devils.
However, De Jong, a 25-year-old soccer player who desired to remain at Camp Nou, turned down Erik ten Hag’s team’s offer. That was despite the Blaugrana’s willingness to sell him because of their limited financial resources. Since then, he has played a significant role for Xavi’s team, appearing 31 times in competitions, assisting on two goals.
The Dutchman decided to transfer from Ajax to the Blaugrana in 2019 for €86 million. Despite the interest of Manchester United and Manchester City at the time, that was the case. He has since played 171 games for the La Liga team, scoring 15 goals and assisting 19 others.
De Jong did make an appearance at Old Trafford just a week ago in the UEFA Europa League Playoffs, where Barcelona lost to Ten Hag’s team 4-3 on an aggregate and was eliminated from Europe.
The midfielder scored three goals and had four assists in 59 games across all competitions under United’s current coach at Ajax. Under the Dutch manager, he won the KNVB Cup and the Eredivisie. Additionally, he was a member of the Ajax team that advanced to the 2019 UEFA Champions League semifinals.
If Manchester United sign De Jong from Barcelona, Christian Eriksen could be fired:
If De Jong is convinced to join the Red Devils in the summer, Manchester United will need to make room for him. Casemiro, Eriksen, and Fred, among others, have stood out this season in Ten Hag’s team’s midfield.
Before suffering an ankle injury in January, Eriksen was a regular starter for United. He won’t be back until at least the end of April. Danny Murphy, a former Liverpool midfielder, stated on Rio Ferdinand’s Vibe with FIVE podcasts that if De Jong arrives, he anticipates that Eriksen will be dropped. He said:
“In effect, Christian Eriksen would play alongside Casemiro, and Eriksen would be used more as a team player,” De Jong said.
In 31 appearances across competitions, Eriksen has scored two goals and contributed nine assists. Murphy went on to say that the Dane was picked up by United because of his inventiveness:
They probably selected Eriksen rather than De Jong because they are both creative. Although they are similar, De Jong is more athletic and slightly better at receiving the ball.
After his brief time with Brentford came to an end, Eriksen left the club and signed with Manchester United as a free agent in the summer of 2017. His contract with Ten Hag’s team is for three years.