Ten Hag is still after the 25-year-old despite the deal’s difficulty. One of Ten Hag’s team’s key weaknesses is the midfield, where the starting duo of Fred and Scott McTominay have drawn harsh criticism after Sunday’s loss to Brighton.
What Made The Deal Difficult?
It was believed that United and Barca had already reached an agreement on a cost of around £70 million.
However, with De Jong refusing to agree to personal terms, United are prepared to give up on the Netherlands international.
According to the Daily Mail, Ten Hag has “resigned himself” to missing out on his number one target after becoming “frustrated.”
Although the Red Devils were “confident” they could get him, it is becoming more and more apparent that he won’t be joining.
The likelihood of seeing Frenkie wearing a United jersey is said to be “hanging by a thread,” however they still haven’t given up hope entirely. United are already looking at options now, including Adrien Rabiot.
Ten Hag was given a glimpse into exactly how much work he needs to do when his team was defeated by Brighton, and even if they do get Rabiot, the inability to sign De Jong is a huge blow.
Ten Hag reportedly prioritized De Jong because he thought he would have been essential to the type of play he wants to implement.
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Furthermore, it is reported that Ten Hag felt he did not need to compile a list of backup plans because United were so sure that a move for De Jong would work out.
But as the summer went by, it became easy to see that De Jong was reluctant to reunite with Ten Hag.
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