Classy De Jong the perfect midfielder to kickstart Ten Hag's Man Utd revolution
Manchester United are not the powerhouse side they once were. They are still able to attract the big names, noted in their summer captures of Jadon Sancho, Raphael Varane and Cristiano Ronaldo, but they lack the fear factor. Teams were once terrified of facing United, yet in the years since Sir Alex Ferguson stood down at Old Trafford, opponents have grown increasingly confident of earning a result against the Manchester powerhouse.
Supporters are now hopeful the appointment of Erik ten Hag will see them re-establish themselves as one of England's dominant sides. It'll be a lengthy process, and the lack of Champions League football next season is expected to impact their pursuit of top quality players as they seek to revamp the squad. However, Ten Hag's progressive managerial approach should aid in the rebuild at Old Trafford, provided he is given the sufficient backing and, crucially, patience.
There is also hope he alone can use his pull to help strengthen the squad this summer. Jurrien Timber enjoyed his breakout season under Ten Hag and the young Dutch defender has been linked with a move to Old Trafford this summer. It's not only at centre-back where United are looking to bolster, but in the middle of the park too, and understandably so.
United conceded more goals (57) than relegated Burnley (53) and newly-promoted Brentford (56), so some fresh blood in the middle of the park to to ease the burden at the back is key. Factor in the departures of Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic, and United need bodies in midfield if they are to really compete with the best in the division next season.
Fans are hopeful they avoid another embarrassing failed transfer saga as they witnessed in 2013, where they pushed all summer to sign Ander Herrera only to miss out on the Spaniard, ultimately signing the Spaniard 12 months later. United have at least identified their main midfield target, though whether they do end up signing Frenkie de Jong this year remains to be seen.
Barcelona reportedly need to sell the Dutchman this summer to help strengthen other areas of the squad and while De Jong may be keen on remaining in Spain, if the Blaugrana are looking to raise funds, then the 25-year-old is seen as the most sellable asset. This appeals to United, who need to not only bolster the midfield, but in the process would secure the services of a progressive central midfielder that'll add a touch of class to the squad.
That he worked under Ten Hag at Ajax is an added bonus that United are hoping to maximise in the off-season. Ten Hag may not have handed De Jong his full debut in Amsterdam, but eight of his 16 league starts that season came after the 52-year-old has replaced Marcel Keizer at the Ajax helm in December 2017. In 2018/19, De Jong was a key man as Ajax secured domestic glory, starting 30 games in central midfield and returning a WhoScored rating of 7.54.
It was following this season that Barcelona spent €75m on the Dutch midfielder, though he does have just a Copa Del Rey winners' medal to show for his efforts in Spain. Barcelona will hope to recoup as much of that fee as possible to invest elsewhere if they do ultimately sell the Netherlands international, and the rumoured desire to sell De Jong certainly works in United's favour.
Comfortable in a midfield two or three, this suits United with a 4-2-3-1 system their most used formation in the Premier League last season. It was also this setup that Ten Hag favoured with Ajax last season with Ryan Gravenberch the progressor and Edson Alvarez the destroyer at the base of the midfield. Were Ten Hag to continue with a 4-2-3-1 formation at Old Trafford, then De Jong would be the ball carrier to help set United on the front foot from deep.
It's a role he carries out very well, with De Jong considered of the best in the business at bringing the ball forward. Indeed, of the 298 players to attempt 50 or more dribbles, he had the best dribble success rate (85%) in Europe's top five leagues last season. Considering the importance of a central midfielder who can drive a team forward in possession in the modern game, this strength to De Jong's game is why he is held in such regard.
By comparison, the central midfielders in the United squad with the best dribble success rate in the Premier League last season were Matic (77.3%), Scott McTominay (76.6%) and Pogba (72.2%) with the former and latter leaving this summer. Fred, meanwhile, returned a success rate of just 58.3%. There is a clear need for a central midfielder of De Jong's skill set in the United squad and if they can convince the Oranje star to swap Barcelona for Manchester, then he'd immediately elevate United's midfield.
And it's not just De Jong's progressive style that would be an immediate boost to the United squad, but his ball retention qualities too. A 91.3% pass success rate was the third best of all Barcelona regulars last season, and second to Toni Kroos (94.9%) of all central midfielders in La Liga, while compared to United central midfielders; Matic (87.1%) again topped this metric. Both Barcelona and United play different styles of football, but if Ten Hag wishes to use his possession-based approach at Old Trafford as he did with Ajax last season, then he'll need a central midfielder to keep hold of the ball better than the options currently at his disposal.
Now De Jong won't immediately correct United's midfield woes, but he'd be a step in the right direction for a team that in recent years have lacked just that. As a new era at Old Trafford kicks off under Ten Hag, De Jong is the statement signing United need to make to prove they are serious at re-establishing themselves as the best in the country.
