The interest of Manchester United in the midfielder from FC Barcelona, Frenkie de Jong, seems to have been much more than mere speculation. In fact, as we recently mentioned here at FCBN, the native of Arkel had reportedly been a specific request of coach Erik ten Hag to strengthen the midfield of the 'Red Devils'.
However, Ten Hag never managed to fulfill his desire to have Frenkie de Jong under his technical direction again, a situation that, on the other hand, was not due to lack of insistence. Apparently, Manchester United did everything possible to try to secure the services of the '21' from Barça, whom they knew from his time at Ajax, trying to convince him in every possible way, but all these attempts proved unsuccessful.
Recently, through the media outlet 'The Athletic,' it has been revealed a strategy that Manchester United carried out in order to convince Frenkie de Jong to sign for the Manchester side. According to the mentioned source, from the 'Red Devils,' a video was sent to the Dutchman in which several historic players of the institution were trying to persuade him to don the jersey of the Old Trafford club in 2022 and reconsider his position of staying at FC Barcelona.
Frenkie de Jong's response to the video sent by Manchester United
However, as reported by the English press, this video had no impact on Frenkie de Jong. Why? Basically, because the Dutchman never opened the video, as he had no intention of leaving the Barcelona squad, where he currently remains a valuable asset in the team and seems to be gradually returning to his best form.
Moreover, he could be a key player in the midfield of Hansi Flick's setup, where, at least for now, he seems to have to compete to secure a spot, considering that the immovable midfielders in the German coach's scheme are currently Marc Casadó and Pedri González.