Barcelona coach Xavi insists there was no doubt Frenkie de Jong would stay at the club amid Manchester United's interest in the summer.
United agreed an €85million fee with Barcelona to sign De Jong but the midfielder publicly expressed his preference to stay in Catalonia and his wage deferral proved to be an insurmountable stumbling block. After the 4-0 drubbing by Brentford on August 13, United ended their pursuit of De Jong and used the funds set aside for the Dutchman to sign Casemiro from Real Madrid for £60m rising to £70m.
De Jong, 25, has started in 15 of Barcelona's 21 La Liga games this season and Xavi has recently settled on a line-up that consists of four midfielders, with Gavi pushed further forward to offset the absence of the injured Ousmane Dembele.
Also read: Xavi impressed by Ten Hag's changes at United
"I think he was really clear to me - he wanted to stay with us," Xavi said, "so there was not a doubt.
"Now he is our player and I am really happy with his performance, with his leadership. He is enjoying himself on the pitch and that is the most important thing."
United manager Erik ten Hag has not closed the door on a potential second pursuit of De Jong, whom he coached for 18 months at Ajax. United sources indicated that De Jong privately told Ten Hag he was prepared to join the club last year.
Ten Hag wants to sign a younger midfielder ahead of next season and he regards De Jong as a world-class talent with the requisite character to slot into the United team and provide balance.
Although Ten Hag has settled on an effective midfield axis of summer signings Christian Eriksen and Casemiro, Eriksen turned 32 on Valentine's Day and Casemiro celebrates his 31st birthday next week.
Eriksen is sidelined until late April with an ankle injury and Casemiro is currently suspended from Premier League duty after he was sent off against Crystal Palace.
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