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Manchester United sent six-word warning about Erik ten Hag target Frenkie de Jong
ERIK TEN HAG has been tipped to take Barcelona ace Frenkie de Jong to Manchester United.
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Manchester United have been sent a six-word warning about Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong, who has been tipped to link-up with his former Ajax manager Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford. De Jong spent 18 months playing under his compatriot, before moving to the Nou Camp in 2019.
Ten Hag began his Red Devils tenure following the final game of last season and has been tasked with reversing his side’s ailing fortunes. And he is likely to oversee a squad overhaul to bring in players who he believes can help his team become the force they once were.
De Jong has illustrated his prodigious talents at the Nou Camp, although he hasn’t quite had the impact Barca chiefs would have been hoping for when they shelled out £65million to sign him. And Ten Hag will be hoping the 25-year-old can light up the Premier League if he can prise him away from Spain.
But former Barcelona, Arsenal and Chelsea ace Cesc Fabregas has pinpointed an area of the player’s game that needs to improve. “He just lacks the final pass,” said the midfielder via Barca Blaugranes.
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Fabregas has enjoyed a stellar career since making his professional debut for Arsenal in 2003. And the creative genius knows a thing or two about killer passes. So his words could make Ten Hag think twice about whether De Jong has what it takes to succeed in the Premier League, although the 35-year-old did add: “I like Frenkie a lot.”
United endured a miserable season last time out under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick as they exited the cup competitions in the early stages and finished a lowly sixth in the Premier League as they missed out on Champions League qualification.
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The morale at Old Trafford appeared to nosedive towards the latter stages of the campaign as the team won just two of their last nine matches. So Ten Hag will certainly have his work cut out if is he to restore the Red Devils to their former glory. And Fabregas has insisted that United’s new boss will need to delve into the transfer market to have the impact he is looking for.
“I’m sure he will want to make his adjustments to the squad since 30 per cent or 40 per cent are not his team now,” the 2010 World Cup winner added. “Pep did it at [Manchester] City and [Jurgen] Klopp did it at Liverpool. Everything has a process.”