Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has backed Manchester United’s pursuit of Barcelona Midfielder Frenkie de Jong claiming it will be a great signing.
According to Sportmail, Barcelona has put Frenkie de Jong on a transfer list as the Catalan giant needs to sell a handful of players to reduce their wage bill. Barcelona has placed a £70million price tag on Dutch international.
With Paul Pogba, Jesse Lingard, Juan Mata, and Nemanja Matic are expected to leave the Old Trafford this summer on a free transfer as their contracts expire.
Frenkie de Jong has been linked with a sensational move to the Theater of Dreams and this rumor has coincided with the arrival of Erik Ten Hag.
The 25 years Midfielder played a pivotal role in the Ajax team that reached the semi-final of the Champions League in 2018 with Erik Ten Hag as their manager.
What did Ferdinand say?
Speaking on the Five Youtube channel he said:‘A top player. I watched him really closely in {Ajax’s] Champions League semi-final team.’
They’re saying he could be the first signing under Ten Hag, if he is I will be sitting here going “Yes, a great sign of things to come”.
‘He’s 25-years-old, not huge in terms of his frame, but what he has got is he’s quick with the ball, really good dribbler, can get out of tight situations, good passer over the short and medium distances.
‘As a team who is looking for players who can control the ball and the game and get the team functioning in terms of balanced possession, I think he would be a good addition to the team. He’s not someone who scores loads of goals, but he is more in terms of controlling the game.
‘This season, Manchester United are definitely losing Paul Pogba, Jesse Lingard, Nemanja Matic, Juan Mata, so it [the midfield] does need reinforcement.
‘I think he will be a fantastic signing if this deal goes ahead. [From] Ajax to Barcelona the fee was around £77million and they’re talking between £60-70m so in today’s market it would be a very good signing.
‘His relationship with Ten Hag – he thrived under his management while he was at Ajax. For me, he was an outstanding player on that team. He was integral to what they did. He’s been to a big club in Barcelona and done okay there.
‘It’s hard to play under big expectations where you’ve got to win. He won’t have that pressure at Man United right now but he could be part of the rebuild under Ten Hag. It would be smart to bring in someone he knows and trusts and believes he can go on and do big things in a team he believes in.’
He added:’Hopefully he’ll bring personality, character, the right type you want. Can he be a leader? He hasn’t shown that in previous seasons but he’s a pure personality who wants to do well.
‘The excitement of new midfielders when they come to Man United, everyone gets behind them. It’s the engine room and he has that engine and you can add that to someone like Bruno. They may go again to that area.
Do you think Frenkie De Jong will be a good signing for Manchester United?
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