Manchester United are fighting tooth and nail to land the Dutch midfielder in Old Trafford. Ten Hag believes that after the departure of Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic he’s the only player to have the potential to balance the shaky defence that has been haunting United for a couple of seasons now.
Player profile –
De Jong joined FC Barcelona in December 2019 and has been a very important asset to the Spanish giant. The 25-year-old has shared a wonderful experience with Ten Hag while they both were serving Ajax. Both of them have been equally responsible for letting Ajax establish a bold and staunch notion that a team from the Netherlands can win big and can let the top teams from Europe fumble in front of them.
Attributes –
Ajax academy graduate, De Jong possesses an incredibly strong technical base allowing him to analyse the game even better than the other players. Ajax is known for producing some fine talents of this sport and De Jong is no exception. He is incredibly fast as compared to a defensive midfielder who can defend when necessary.
He is capable of playing in all areas of the pitch with comfort. The way he absorbs and processes information about his surroundings is just unreal. This means that he rarely disposes under pressure and even act as a catalyst for the team to counterattack on the break. Looking at United’s point of view, the defence have fallen off immensely. There’s rarely any player at this time in the squad that possess such an unreal work rate. To balance the team and make it worthy to compete in the higher league, De Jong is a must.
De Jong Ajax clips are the new Pogba Juve clips https://t.co/Glf7fGpalP
— Harry (@hhyde_) June 28, 2022
De Jong is an excellent ground passer with both his feet working equally. Due to this skill that he has, it can be utilised for the United attackers to catch hold of the ball even in the tough and tight situations. No midfielder in United at the moment is so highly regarded but with his inclusion it can change it all. De Jong’s passing rate is highly placed, ranking in the 81st percentile amongst midfielders in Europe’s top 5 leagues. According to FBRef, he has a whopping 94th percentile for progressive passes received. De Jong is very effective in picking up spaces to receive between the lines. To receive through balls or passes from tight situations accurately is an attackers dream and what makes De Jong even more special is this quality.
In addition to positioning himself well, De Jong is also a fantastic ball carrier. He even has a 94 percentile for progressive carries against midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues.
If you're try to teach a young player about scanning. Just show them clips of Frenkie de Jong. His timing and frequency is incredible pic.twitter.com/Z0lUV3K00D
— Be Your Best (@BeYourBest_pro) April 8, 2022
Another positive attribute is the fact that De Jong understands the importance of maintaining a tempo. His tempo enables him to prevent touches as much as possible so that he can avoid dangerous takeaways which happened to be an issue that Paul Pogba faced. Pogba’s long duration with the ball at his feet often saw United either gifting the ball to the opposition from where United often conceded or leading to embarrassing gameplay.
De Jong’s above-mentioned trait often helps him to be calm and poised in deep areas. The fact that he drops so deep calmly helps the team to receive rotations between midfielders.
As mentioned earlier in this article he has been gifted with a huge stamina tank and pace, he often utilises this strength to manipulate the opposition and easily penetrate through their defence. He can even make well-timed late runs into the penalty area which increases the possibility of scoring on many occasions. Due to his tendency to constantly roam with the ball, many times he makes errors in defending. He would be a poor choice as a lone defensive midfielder. But this has a solution. If Fred and De Jong partner themselves in the defensive third of United then it looks very promising and difficult for the opposition to break. De Jong is a true box-to-box player with versatility.
Other improvements Frenkie De Jong needs to make is his long-range passing and power. Frenkie often fails to match the pace while moving from one flank to the other which surprisingly our very own Scott Mctominay has excelled. De Jong is a vast improvement on what Manchester United currently have in midfield. If De Jong is given the conditions to succeed in this United team, then he will be one of the best players to grace the Premier League.
