Ten Hag: I did everything I could to sign De Jong for Manchester United

Erik ten Hag, the former Manchester United manager, has revealed details of his attempts to sign Frenkie de Jong, the FC Barcelona midfielder, during the summer of 2022, confirming that he did everything he could to persuade the player to move to Old Trafford.

In an interview with The Athletic, the Dutch coach explained that Frenkie de Jong was his first choice to strengthen Manchester United's midfield, having previously worked with him at Ajax, and recognized his potential as crucial for building the team's long-term project.

Ten Hag spoke about the deal that negotiations had been ongoing for several weeks without completion: "He could have been extremely important in building the team, not just this year, but also for the future, but we were unable to finalize the deal."

The Dutch coach added, explaining his role in trying to persuade the FC Barcelona player: "I did everything I could, I organized meetings with him, which Richard Arnold and John Murtough also attended, to convince him to come."