The links between De Jong to Manchester United now seems to be prominent as Fabrizio Romano and Gerard Romero has confirmed that the deal is 95% completed between Barcelona and United. Barcelona however, are willing to accept bids not less than 70 million to tide over their financial crisis. Similarly, Messi lost his place in the Barcelona team a year back. United have confirmed that the “Revolution” is coming that will mark a new “Manchester United Era”. More than five to six players are expected to leave and at least ten players are also expected to join at the same time.
However, with the performance United has been displaying this entire season is just not up to the mark. Defence has fallen to a great extent and as a result the team has lost its style as well. With the addition of De Jong to this team, the defence, which is the most crucial aspect of a team, it can be strengthened to a great extent. Ten Hag and De Jong’s reunion can be pivotal for both the parties concerned.
De Jong is a kind of player that just fits into any system. A very rare trait found in today’s modern football where tactics pave the way for triumph. But De Jong is an exception to this above mentioned notion. Most importantly, this transfer is important because De Jong is a very versatile player. He can play both as a central midfielder who can track back when the opposition has major control over the ball and on the other hand play as a central-defender.
When Barcelona went through a rough patch of time the previous season and lacked majority of the defenders due to injury, De Jong took up that job as a CB and did the job gallantly. Before joining the Spanish giants (FC BARCELONA) in Eredivise he accrued a 92% passing average and thereby creating 32 chances for Ajax and having 8 assists from that midfield position.
Playing as a defensive midfielder, De Jong is often found busy making some crucial tackles and interceptions. A lot of changes to the team is expected this upcoming season ranging from Van De Beek’s much awaited comeback in the United system to Pogba leaving the club after a long spell. However, with the likes of Bruno Fernandes, Fred and Donny Van de Beek the midfield remains more or less the same without Pogba who used to provide fine and intricate passes into the box.
De Jong along with Pau Torres(Villarreal CF) who is another player who might join the United ally, can help to solidify the United defence. De Jong will certainly not get benched under Erik Ten Hag and is bound to create a competition amongst the players fighting for that spot. De Jong drops deep into the half and tries to make spaces to create accurate passes and tries to put his team back into the context. United plays a counter-attacking football leaving De Jong on the front foot as he can make spaces into the opposition half and helps easily penetrate through their defence.
De Jong has the ideal blend of physique and intelligence. In fact, he has a dribbling success ratio of 79.5% while attempting 1.77 dribbles per game. Frenkie de Jong is a midfielder that likes the ball at his feet. He is usually screening the backline when out of possession. Before making a tackle De Jong usually takes up a shuttle movement and not dive straight into a tackle and thereby not giving involved in any unnecessary fouls.
United desperately needs a player who can read such tough situations and help them recover efficiently. With De Jong’s involvement in the upcoming season the defence will shine brightly once again. Erik Ten Hag will be under a lot of pressure from millions of United fans around the globe who wants him to succeed and give this club the taste of glory once again that it has been lacking for the past six years now.
