It’s a question that’s been asked so often since the summer transfer window, but at least this time Frenkie de Jong’s girlfriend, Mikky Kiemeney, had an answer.
After a summer of speculation about De Jong possibly moving to Manchester United, she was asked during an Instagram Q&A, “When’s Frenkie coming to Manchester?” Her tongue-in-cheek answer — “23-2, I guess” — was a reference to Barcelona’s Europa League tie with United, which kicks off at Camp Nou on Thursday before the return leg at Old Trafford on Feb. 23.
Despite the best efforts of United and manager Erik ten Hag last summer, De Jong will be playing for Barcelona, although they haven’t given up hope of seeing the Dutch midfielder wearing red in the future. But what happened last summer with that transfer saga, and what’s happened since? How big of a factor will he be on this Europa League clash, and will Man United try again to sign the 25-year-old this summer?
De Jong’s fit at Barcelona
De Jong’s time at Barca has been laced with debate. For a start: what is his best role? When the Dutch international arrived in 2019, many incorrectly expected him to be the heir to veteran holding midfielder Sergio Busquets. Some of De Jong’s best qualities are not suited to being at the base of a midfield three, though, and several of his coaches have made that point both at Ajax and at Barca.
While still in charge of Ajax, Ten Hag said De Jong “leaves the middle of the pitch too often [to be the sole defensive midfielder].” He said if you don’t give him the freedom to get forward, you don’t get the best out of him. Ronald Koeman, who managed Barcelona in 2020-21, agreed and some of De Jong’s standout Barca performances, like the 2021 Copa del Rey final, came when he was encouraged to gamble and get into the box. He scored in that final, and it looked like his Camp Nou career was finally taking off.
De Jong was a favourite under Koeman and while the dismissal of his Dutch compatriot — who was fired in October 2021, following a dismal start to the season — could have been viewed as a negative, the appointment of Xavi Hernandez allowed a positive spin, too. Xavi was one of Barca’s best-ever midfielders and was viewed as a coach who could take De Jong’s game to the next level. However, there were teething problems — not just for De Jong, but for other players as well.
Xavi never named names, but he did say there were players who didn’t understand what he was teaching. “[The players] were not working on positional play and we defend differently to the way they did under the previous coach,” he said in December 2021. “We don’t understand the way we want to play football. It’s strange that there are Barca players that don’t understand positional play.”
De Jong was regularly taken off early in games, which led to the conclusion last summer that, for that right transfer fee, he could be considered surplus at Camp Nou.
For his part, Xavi voiced support for the player, but never ruled out an exit. “There is the sporting situation and the financial situation,” was his go-to line when asked about De Jong.
The two clubs made a lot of progress during talks to thrash out a deal and at one stage, after United football director John Murtough had flown to Spain, had a broad agreement. However, money owed to De Jong by the Spanish side after he agreed to defer wages during the coronavirus pandemic caused a significant problem. Sources close to United insist they would not have pursued De Jong so strongly if they’d not had encouragement that he was willing to move, though most of the player’s public comments on the potential transfer suggest otherwise.
When it became clear that De Jong wasn’t happening last summer, United turned to Casemiro as their central midfielder, with the Brazil and Real Madrid star arriving in late August for a reported fee of £60m plus add-ons. It has worked out well, with the Brazilian already one of this season’s stand-out players. But despite Casemiro’s arrival, United have never fully ruled out reigniting their interest in De Jong and the club have been led to believe he will be made available again in the summer.
Ten Hag’s priorities in the transfer market have shifted and it’s likely signing a striker will be his priority ahead of next season, but he has made no secret of his desire to sign De Jong. Equally, United would certainly explore it again if it became clear he is leaving Camp Nou. — Dawson
Will De Jong be a critical player in these Europa League clashes?
This week, De Jong faces the club he could have joined last summer as one of Barca’s most in-form players. Xavi has recently switched from a 4-3-3 formation to more of a 4-4-2, with midfielder Gavi acting as a false left winger to create superiority in the middle of the pitch.
The change has brought the best out of De Jong. With Busquets beside him — although the Barca captain is a major doubt for the United tie with an ankle sprain — he has the liberty to attack without the fear of leaving space behind him. In Gavi and Pedri, he has two of the best young midfielders in the world to link with, and as a result he has played a major part in Barca’s 16-game unbeaten run in all competitions.
Perhaps the best sight of De Jong is him galloping forward with the ball when space opens ahead of him, his opponents unable to keep up, but there are technical details as well. His subtle chipped pass for Robert Lewandowski against Villarreal at the weekend deserved a goal. He’s ferocious in Barca’s high press and has the energy to get back to defend counter-attacks, too.
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Heading into Thursday, De Jong has played 90 minutes in Barca’s last five games and United — Ten Hag especially — won’t need any reminders of the threat he carries. — Marsden
Will Man United try again this coming summer?
United’s priority heading into the summer transfer window is to sign a high-level striker, but Ten Hag’s stance on De Jong is that the door “isn’t closed.”
From United’s point of view, much will depend of Barcelona’s financial situation and whether De Jong wants to move to Old Trafford, but Ten Hag still believes the 25-year-old is one of the best midfielders in the world — particularly because of his passing ability — and that he would complement what he has already got in the squad.
It’s also possible that both Fred and Scott McTominay could leave, though that’s far from certain. Ten Hag is also a keen admirer of Jude Bellingham, but there’s a feeling that Manchester City, Liverpool and Real Madrid are ahead in the race for his signature if, as expected, he leaves Borussia Dortmund at the end of the season.
