Erik ten Hag’s exit from Manchester United will see a change in the club’s transfer policy. Despite insistence over the summer that the manager had little to do with the targets being chased, there was a suspicion he had a hand in somewhere and therefore the usual players were linked.
Step forward Frenkie de Jong, who had been linked with a move to Old Trafford since his compatriots arrival at the Red Devils. Ten Hag was said to see the midfielder as absolutely key to his tactical plans for Manchester United and there followed several serious attempts to get him.
That was despite the player himself seemingly not being keen on making the switch from Barcelona, with him happy with his life in the Catalan city.
The whole idea looks dead now, with Sunday’s edition of Sport reporting there’s set to be a ‘radical change’ in the Manchester United approach to transfers and that will see De Jong pushed aside.
Such a scenario may not be helpful for the player right now as his camp negotiate with Barcelona over a contract extension. The lingering threat of Manchester United isn’t really a tool his representatives can use any longer.
