I would be lying if I said I wasn’t fed up with the Frenkie de Jong transfer saga.
None of us want to see Manchester United with egg on their faces, while most fans would be extremely disappointed if the club failed in their pursuit to sign Erik ten Hag’s primary target, who they have chased for over eight weeks.
Former United winger Lee Sharpe suggests that not all hope is lost on the Frenkie de Jong front. Speaking to 888sport, he said: “He [De Jong] is the class in midfield that can drive United on.
“However, this has been going on for so long and I’m hoping the reason they’re still involved is because they strongly believe they can get him. I would have thought United would have walked away by now unless they were reasonably confident they’re going to get him but I hope also they’ve got someone to fall back on.”
Sharpe then appears to lose his thought process by suggesting De Jong is a similar player to Declan Rice…
He added: “Perhaps they’ll wait until next year and go for Declan Rice – sorry West Ham fans – who looks to me a similar sort of player.
“The most important signing for United right now is a De Jong or a Declan Rice, that Rolls Royce of a midfielder who can sit in front of the back four and dictate the game.
“If you’ve got a centre-back and a midfielder who can communicate when United are in attacking positions, to ensure the structure is right, then a player like that will be worth their weight in gold.”
It is not easy to find a Plan B for a midfielder like De Jong. Barcelona didn’t have one when they signed him from Ajax, and it doesn’t sound like United are looking at other midfielders in the transfer market.
Hopefully, Ten Hag gets De Jong and we don’t need to worry about that. It might be wishful thinking but what have we to lose only sleep.
