Manchester United’s long pursuit of Frenkie de Jong is expected to gather pace this week, with the Red Devils edging closer to an agreement over a £73million fee with Barcelona.
Sources in Spain expect a resolution this week and it’s not beyond the realms of possibility that De Jong is announced before the weekend after other details around the deal were ironed out.
It is a move that Erik ten Hag has prioritised as central to his Old Trafford overhaul and it says much about the way the club are prepared to back their new manager that they have put other deals on the backburner to secure a transfer that has proved somewhat tortuous.
Getting their man would ease some of the tension surrounding the club, which remains in the grip of a civil war best illustrated by the outrage that greeted Friday’s dividend payments to the Glazer Family.
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Condemned by Gary Neville and the club’s Supporters Trust, they come as supporter group The 1958 pledge to continue protesting the ownership next season.
Neville tweeted on Friday: “That’s why Dividends have to stop for a period. Every penny has to go back into the club until it becomes attractive again. The club has become a graveyard for players. Culturally for owners to take [money emoji] out of a poorly performing business is demoralising!”
They secured a high-profile PR coup when plans to protest CEO Richard Arnold led to him meeting them at a pub to speak about events around the club.
A new era, nevertheless, has begun with former Ajax manager Ten Hag back on the training ground and preparing to lay foundations for what has to be an improved campaign.
Ten Hag and Steve McClaren oversaw the first day of pre-season training on Monday, with the club’s non-internationals returning for days of testing and early preparation.
It will be crucial as Ten Hag looks to push a pressing game incorporating quick movement and good understanding between players on a squad that looked capable of doing anything but last year.
It will take time to get that right but Ten Hag has that: the Manchester United board appear to be ‘all in’ on him, hence their willingness to negotiate with Barcelona over de Jong.
His former player Robin Ruiter told i earlier this year that it was on the training ground where Ten Hag laid the foundations for success. The players can expect long, intense sessions which are mentally draining but drill them on the essentials.
Ruiter recalled Ten Hag would blow up every 20 seconds at first to correct small movements from players until it “all fell into place”.
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Similarly, there will be an emphasis on building a winning culture. McClaren told his son’s ‘McClaren Performance’ podcast last week that the club’s mentality had to improve.
Transfer progress would help and De Jong could be followed by other deals.
As reported by i last week, it is now down to Manchester United and Brentford in the chase to secure coveted free agent Christian Eriksen.
Despite reports elsewhere, the Dane has not turned down Manchester United’s overtures. All parties are still waiting for a decision from the player himself, who has made it clear that his call will be based on footballing reasons. He wants regular first-team football in the run up to the Qatar World Cup.
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