Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong was reportedly not all that desperate to work with Erik ten Hag again at Manchester United, despite being a key player for him when they were together at Ajax.
The Netherlands international was linked with Man Utd for much of the summer, but there have now been further insights into why his move to Old Trafford never panned out.
According to Cadena SER, De Jong always planned to stay at Barcelona, and it seems that even the chance to work with Ten Hag again didn’t seem to provide him with much motivation to change his mind.
De Jong could have been ideal for Ten Hag’s midfield, but the Red Devils instead ended up signing Casemiro from Real Madrid in that position.
Meanwhile, De Jong will have to stay and fight for his place at Barca, which won’t necessarily be easy, so it remains to be seen if the 25-year-old will really look back at this and think it was the right decision.
United would surely have built their midfield around De Jong, though it would also have been more of a long-term project, with the player probably more likely to win things sooner at the Nou Camp.