Erik ten Hag arrived at Manchester United in 2022 and wanted to sign Frenkie de Jong in his first transfer window.
The Dutchman had previously managed the midfielder at Ajax and wanted to reunite with him at Old Trafford. The deal didn’t take shape as De Jong refused to leave Barcelona.
Friday’s edition of Sport says Ten Hag wants Manchester United to make another attempt to sign him in the winter market.
The Red Devils have endured a poor start to this season. They are 14th in the table with eight points from seven games, scoring five goals in the process. The English club settled for a point in their first two Europa League fixtures.
This has raised questions over the manager’s future at the club. If he were to be still in charge in January, it’s stated he again wants to sign the 27-year-old.
Ten Hag feels the Netherlands international’s addition could ‘give new impetus to a team in constant reconstruction’.
An ankle injury forced De Jong to miss the start of this season, and he only returned to the pitch at the start of this month. His deal lasts until 2026 and he has no plans to leave the Camp Nou.
Sport state the situation could change if Barcelona were to force him out of the club, most likely to improve their finances and lower their wage bill.
Since the start of last season, the Dutchman has missed more than 250 days due to ankle issues. This, coupled with Ten Hag’s long-term future being far from certain, means it absolutely doesn’t make sense for the Premier League side to sign De Jong.
He’s so far refused to sign an extension at Barca. This may be another reason why the La Liga side are again using the Catalan media to try and push the player out.
