Man United 'sent video to world-class star' to try and convince him to join but he didn't watch it

Manchester United reportedly sent a video to try and persuade a transfer target to join the club – but their tactic didn’t work.

United are seemingly approaching a new dawn, with Ruben Amorim thought to be close to becoming the Red Devils’ manager in the near future.

However, despite parting company with Erik ten Hag on Monday with the club sitting in a torrid 14^th place in the Premier League, you would struggle to argue that the former United boss wasn’t backed in the transfer market.

During the transfer window, the club spent £180m on Leny Yoro, Manuel Ugarte, Joshua Zirkzee and two other players - who Ten Hag had previously managed at Ajax - with Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui arriving from Bayern Munich.

The summer recruits meant that during Ten Hag’s tenure, United signed 11 former Eredivisie-based players, with five being his former Ajax players with Andre Onana, Antony and Lisandro Martinez making up the ex-Ajax contingent in the dressing room.

But there is another player who Ten Hag was thought to be a long-term admirer of, so much so that United sent a video to try and persuade him to join the club from Barcelona in 2022.

“United even went as far as making a video of [Frenkie] De Jong mocked up next to some of their club legends in an attempt to persuade him to join. But he never saw it,” according to The Athletic.

Erik ten Hag wanted Frenkie de Jong at Manchester United (Credit:Getty)

De Jong played an integral part in Ajax’s journey – managed by Ten Hag - to the 2018-19 Champions League semi-final before losing to Spurs in dramatic circumstances.

The Dutch international moved to Barcelona for a reported fee of £64m in 2019, with his earnings thought to be around the £30m-per-year mark, according to Mail.

It is also suggested that United were heavily interested in three other players that Ten Hag was unable to sign, with Alexis MacAllister seen as an alternative to De Jong, but the Argentine signed for Liverpool in the summer of 2023.

The report also claims that Ten Hag’s demands were ‘unrealistic’, with the Dutchman also thought to be keen on Harry Kane and Fede Valverde, but both deals never materialised.