Manchester United have finally made progress in their drawn-out pursuit of Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong, meaning Erik ten Hag can begin to plan for next season.
United have agreed an initial fee of £56million for De Jong , rising to a potential £70m with add-ons. The 25-year-old midfielder is expected to sign a five-year contract worth £250,000 per week at Old Trafford after Barca agreed terms with United.
The news is significant for Ten Hag, who personally advocated for De Jong’s arrival. He made his former Ajax player the club’s number one transfer target following the departures of Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic. The Netherlands international now looks set to be the most important part of a double move, with United striking a deal with Feyenoord to sign left-back Tyrell Malacia for £13m, rising to £15m with add-ons.
De Jong will become the centrepiece of Ten Hag’s midfield, but it remains to be seen how he fits into the side. The 52-year-old only took his first training session at Carrington on Monday so will need more time to run the rule over his squad. Here Mirror Football takes a look at the different ways Ten Hag could use De Jong in a new-look United midfield in the 2022/23 season.
4-3-3
Ten Hag’s five years at Ajax means that 4-3-3 will always be put forward as a possible formation – despite his philosophy being that players shape formations, rather than the other way around. For his part, De Jong likes to be at the centre of things, like how he plays under former United boss Louis van Gaal with the Netherlands.
“Here in the national team, I have a position that suits me better,” he explained during the recent round of Nations League fixtures. “I like to be the first player to receive the ball from defenders. I play in a different way in the national team compared to Barca.”
Those comments came, in part, due to Sergio Busquets’ role at Barcelona. The veteran Spaniard is the deep-lying midfielder at the Camp Nou, meaning De Jong plays slightly further forward. At United, it might make sense to install him at the base of a midfield three.
With Pogba, Matic, Jesse Lingard and Juan Mata leaving, United aren’t currently blessed with options in the middle of the park. But Donny van de Beek, who has returned from a loan spell at Everton, Fred and Scott McTominay are all available for central midfield roles, while youngsters James Garner and Hannibal Mejbri will want to impress in pre-season.
A pairing Van de Beek, who is a Ten Hag favourite from his time at Ajax, and McTominay, who The Times says is ‘pivotal’ to the new manager’s plans, is conceivable in front of De Jong. United have also offered a contract to Christian Erisken, who would fit in nicely as a forward-thinking midfielder, as an alternative to Bruno Fernandes.
HAVE YOUR SAY! How should Manchester United use Frenkie de Jong next season? Comment below.
4-2-3-1
“I don’t necessarily have one position where I really want to play, but I think I’m at my best if I’m in a role where I can often touch the ball.” That’s what De Jong told The Guardian earlier this year when assessing his role at Barca under Xavi in the most diplomatic of terms.
Some fascinating quotes from Ten Hag reveal how he managed to get the best out of De Jong at Ajax. “The players’ qualities determine how you play. Take Frenkie de Jong,” he told Dutch Soccer Site in 2019. “We have really been looking to find ways to use his skills in the best manner. Where can he play best, for the team and to showcase his talent?
“Everyone was screaming ‘Frenkie is the biggest talent, etc etc.’ Well yes. But, where? In midfield? OK, but which role? His quality is that he makes the forwards perform better. He is a wanderer, an adventurer, he’s always on the move, like a shark. With the ball, often, but also without the ball.
“So if you put him on [No]6, he’s away too often. But you need to give him freedom, otherwise, you can’t [get] the best out of him. It wasn’t an easy puzzle, so I decided to play with two number 6s and only one attacking mid. And in this way, we can also dominate the half space, and force opponents to choose.”
The system Ten Hag is describing saw De Jong play alongside Lasse Schone in a 4-2-3-1, with Van de Beek pushed further forward in an attacking role. It worked brilliantly in the 2018/19 season, helping Ajax reach the semi-finals of the Champions League.
He could easily replicate the same system with United by fielding Fred or McTominay alongside De Jong in a double-pivot and playing Van de Beek, Fernandes, or Eriksen, as the central attacking midfielder.
3-4-3
As previously mentioned, Ten Hag is not wed to one particular formation. That means flexibility could be the order of the day at Old Trafford next season. De Jong can easily play in a two-man midfield, given his brilliant passing range and calmness against the opposition’s press.
"He is always calm and always has the solution,” Ten Hag said of the midfielder in 2019. “He scans so well that he always knows how to go forward. You can hardly put him under pressure – that is such a great gift."
With the width provided by wing-backs, Ten Hag could field more central creators in a 3-4-2-1 formation. Jadon Sancho is capable of playing narrower alongside Fernandes, with Malacia or Luke Shaw on the left and Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Diogo Dalot – or a new recruit – playing on the right side.
