Why Man Utd can't afford to miss out on De Jong now
Karan Tejwani
- 28 Jul 2022 09:46 CDT
- 4 min read
Manchester United have been engaged in one of the longest transfer sagas of the summer, as they look to bring Frenkie de Jong from Barcelona, but it seems like a complicated move to complete.
Barcelona are eager to sell to boost their financial situation, Manchester United are eager to bring in Erik ten Hag’s top target, but the situation is problematic due to De Jong’s deferred wages.
The Dutchman is rightly awaiting his wages that he is owed as a result of a deferral agreed under previous Barcelona President Josep Bartomeu, and is unwilling to leave unless he gets what he’s owed.
And while Manchester United seem to be confident that situation will be sorted soon, they are now entering a risky territory with about a month left before the transfer window closes.
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Manchester United can't fail to land De Jong now
Not getting De Jong would be a disastrous outcome – the club first showed interest in De Jong back in May, soon after Ten Hag was announced as head coach, and they’ve been in discussions with Barcelona since.
There have been reports that Manchester United have identified alternatives in case the move doesn’t work out, but Ten Hag also seems adamant on De Jong, and that no player can do what he does in his teams.
The midfield was a position of priority going into the summer, and that is still the case, despite the signings of Christian Eriksen and Lisandro Martinez, who is at best when he’s playing in defence.
With the season set to start a week from Sunday as United welcome Brighton, it’s unlikely that the situation will change much, but if it remains the same going into the final week of the window, it will be cause for concern.
🚨 #MUFC are NOT giving up on the prospect of signing Frenkie de Jong as there is a 'belief' a deal is there to be done. 🔴
SSN understand that United are keeping alternatives 'warm' should a deal for De Jong fail to materialise.👀 pic.twitter.com/XIWkfGWWpw— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) July 28, 2022
Manchester United already have plenty of catching up to do with regards to their rivals, having finished sixth last season, and can’t go into the season with no clear improvements in midfield other than Eriksen.
Failure to land De Jong would add more imbalance to a midfield that has already shown their flaws in recent times, and may even force players to play out of position, or not in their best places on the pitch.
Martinez, for example, may have to be moved out of defence, something he was not signed to do, and that’s just one of many possibilities that could happen.
It’s slightly an unfortunate situation to be in – clubs like Leeds United and Bayern Munich have taken caution when dealing with Barcelona this year, so Manchester United know there are problems in working with them on transfers.
However, they’ve also willingly chosen to pursue just De Jong, and while that is a clear indication of them backing their manager, it’s coming to a point where they must get him, rather than just try their best to get him.
