How Man Utd tried to sign De Jong – Ten Hag spills

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag in a recent statement made a claim about how the club tried and failed to sign Frenkie de Jong from Spanish side Barcelona in 2022.

Recall that Ten Hag and De Jong were together for two years at Dutch club Ajax, where they won the Eredivisie title and made it to the Champions League semi-finals.

Man United initially made moves to sign the Netherlands midfielder before his big-money transfer to the La Liga in 2019.

The Red Devils also attempted to sign De Jong after Ten Hag arrived at the club, but the move never materialised.

Speaking with Gary Neville on Sky Sport, Ten Hag said the Red Devils could have had De Jong and Casemiro in the midfield.

The manager believed the two players would have been really connected with each other.

According to the Red Devils boss, De Jong and Casemiro would have complemented each other.

He stressed that to play the Ajax style, the club needs a type of player like De Jong.

Meanwhile, Man Utd will return to action on Monday when they play against Crystal Palace.

The Red Devils will head to the match after they were held to a 1-1 draw against Burnley.