Manchester United’s pursuit of Frenkie de Jong was one of the stories of the summer transfer window but ultimately the Premier League club failed to recruit the Dutch midfielder.
Man United had a bid accepted by Barcelona for the 25-year-old but it was the player that did not want to leave Spain in the end.
According to Sport, De Jong opted to stay at the Camp Nou as he believed that he was going to have a decisive role in Xavi’s new project, but that is currently not the case.
The Barcelona coach doesn’t count on the Dutch star for important games and the midfielder has now begun to become upset over his current situation, states the report.
De Jong is said to want more minutes and, above all, to start for Barcelona in their biggest matches.
The 25-year-old has only started against the smaller teams for the La Liga giants this campaign, compared to last season, where he was an undisputed name in the first 11.
Sport states that if this continues for the rest of the campaign, De Jong could consider an exit from the club, although his objective is to succeed at Barcelona.
Man United have maintained contact with De Jong’s team and the door at Old Trafford is still open for his arrival, states the report.
The Dutch midfielder is a player Erik ten Hag would love to have at United and the likelihood of that happening has increased from the summer.