Manchester United’s midfield has been a weakness for many years now, but it seems as though Erik Ten Hag’s top priority coming in as manager is to fix this area of the pitch.
In a report by Marcel van der Kraan for De Telegraaf in the Netherlands, it has been stated that new Manchester United boss Erik Ten Hag’s top targets for his side are Frenkie de Jong and Christian Eriksen.
He has explained to his bosses at the club that De Jong especially is critical to “the development of a new style of play in Manchester”.
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The Dutchman believes that the focus must be on midfield at present, which will be refreshing to hear for United fans who have not seen the club buy a central or defensive midfielder since the arrival of Fred for £52 million in 2018, despite the desperate need for one.
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In that time, two attacking midfielders have arrived in Bruno Fernandes and Donny van de Beek, who was a key player for Ten Hag at Ajax.
However, their archetypes are completely opposite which has led to struggles and limited game time for Van de Beek.
When he has appeared for United, it has often been shoehorned into a double pivot, where he is not best suited to playing.
Frenkie de Jong and his agent, Ali Dursun, have deliberately been keeping quiet about the move in recent weeks in order to maintain their strong position in any negotiation.
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But the fact that the club made a bid for the player, and are now internally discussing a second bid, is an indicator that the player is open to joining.
A club of United’s size and calibre do not pursue these players and make bids for them if there is no prior indication that the player would be open to joining the club.
Comments made by CEO Richard Arnold to fans in a local pub on Saturday afternoon indicate that personal terms have been agreed.
Now, the agreement of a fee is the only potential obstacle.
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With De Jong not pushing for the move, the onus is on Barcelona to agree a fee with United.
With the Catalonia-based club having to present their books to La Liga next week, they may be forced to agree to United’s price even if it does not match their demands for economic reasons.
This upcoming week will be seen as a big one for both clubs in this negotiation, with Barcelona’s upcoming meeting with La Liga and United trying to secure their man early.
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The player has stagnated since his move to Barcelona in 2019 from Ten Hag's Ajax.
United fans will be hoping that the 25-year-old can show his form from the Netherlands in a system where he is a focal point under Ten Hag.
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Manchester United, Manchester United Transfer News & Rumours, Transfers, Erik Ten Hag, Football, Premier League, Barcelona, Frenkie De Jong, Christian Eriksen