11 coaches in seven years: Why Frenkie De Jong needs Ten Hag

Karan Tejwani

• Updated: 28 Jun 2022 03:58 CDT
• 4 min read

Manchester United are close to agreeing a deal with Barcelona over the transfer of Frenkie de Jong, which would put an end to several weeks of rumours over the future of the Dutch midfielder.

The 25-year-old has been a top target for the Red Devils since the arrival of Erik ten Hag as the new head coach, as the former Ajax boss has been keen to reunite with his former player.

The pair worked together at the Amsterdam club between 2017 and 2019, and developed a strong relationship, as they secured the domestic double in the 2018-19 season and reached the Champions League semi-final.

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It was Ten Hag that gave De Jong his break at Ajax, and the player played his best football under him at Ajax, so perhaps a move to United to work with him again could work wonders.

Coaching instability hasn't helped De Jong

For the course of his career, De Jong has been through plenty of instability in terms of his head coach, which isn’t very helpful for a player who is now 25 and approaching his prime years.

Since 2014-15, which was the start of his professional career at Dutch club Willem II, De Jong has had the same coach at the start of a season just once – that was Ronald Koeman at Barcelona (who was sacked soon after).

He moved from Willem II to Ajax, where he initially worked under Jaap Stam at Jong Ajax (the club’s second team), and when he was bumped to the senior side, there were changes too.

At first, he had Peter Bosz temporarily, but after he left for Borussia Dortmund, there was the short-lived tenure of Marcel Keizer, before Ten Hag came in and made De Jong a better player.

That earned him a move to Barcelona, where stability was expected, but he’s had a series of head coaches there too, starting with Ernesto Valverde, before moving on to Quique Setien, Ronald Koeman and currently Xavi.

It was expected that Xavi would bring out his best again, and during Barcelona’s fine run of form in the middle of last season, De Jong was showing signs of consistency, but that relationship may end soon due to the club’s issues.

By his own admission, Xavi is a fan of De Jong’s style, but sadly for player and coach, the Dutchman is the club’s most sellable asset, and considering their financial situation, Barcelona will have to sacrifice him.

While De Jong himself may not be the biggest fan of moving to Old Trafford, a chance to reunite with Ten Hag could be beneficial for the long run, as it will bring him some much-needed stability.

Ten Hag knows him well, and wants to build his Manchester United side around him, and considering this is (yet another) fresh start for the club, there will be time given to the manager to try things out and make mistakes.

It was clear at Ajax that the pair worked well together: De Jong was able to play with freedom, in his best position and grow as a footballer, building a massive reputation for himself in the game.

It’s not easy for a player to adjust to new coaches every season, go through so many changes, and in his seven-year professional career, De Jong has had 11 coaches (interim spells included), which is not good at all.

At Manchester United, while he may not find the same prestige or personal affection as Barcelona – a club he supported as a child – he may find the right man to help him play to his highest potential again.