Just get De deal done , United
Ten Hag wants Barca star in time for summer tour
ERIK TEN HAG has told Manchester United’s top brass to seal a quick deal for Frenkie de Jong – because he wants him on their summer tour to Asia and Australia.
United’s new Dutch boss has made it clear to Old Trafford chief executive Richard Arnold he doesn’t want a protracted saga for the 25-year-old Barcelona star running until the transfer window closes on September 1.
Ten Hag, 52, wants to know if a deal for the Holland playmaker can be done by the end of next week – otherwise he will switch targets.
The former Ajax coach has handed Arnold a number of wish-list players in all positions – with the capture of De Jong high among his priorities.
Rejected
But he doesn’t want to be left waiting all summer for De Jong, only to be let down and find his plans in turmoil if an agreement with Barcelona and the player can’t be reached.
That’s why he’s pushing for an early response from the Nou Camp after United’s first bid of £53million plus £7m in add-ons was rejected.
United believe Barcelona will sell despite boss Xavi wanting to keep him.
But Ten Hag has insisted he won’t hang his hat on getting De Jong at the expense of missing out on other targets. That’s why United sources say club officials are “working hard” to make the deal happen.
Ten Hag’s first game in charge of United will be a Bangkok baptism of fire against Liverpool in Thailand on July 12.
That’s quickly followed by a double header Down Under in Melbourne against Melbourne Victory and Crystal Palace at the MCG before the longhaul part of the tour closes against Aston Villa in Perth on July 23.
With Manchester City, Liverpool and Tottenham all making early progress in the transfer market, it’s believed senior staff at Old Trafford are irked that they are already getting criticised for a lack of progress.
But United’s recent transfer window history is hardly filling Ten Hag with much confidence, with stars such as striker Edinson Cavani and Porto left-back Alex Telles both signing on
deadline day in 2020.
He will not tolerate the kind of shambles which hampered David Moyes when he became United boss following
Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement in 2013.
Ed Woodward, United’s head man then after the untimely departure of Fergie and chief executive David Gill in the same summer, chased a number of targets.
But United stumbled to the last days of the window with zero new signings Moyes had
wanted. They eventually captured Marouane Fellaini for £27.5m in the nick of time.
That was having given up on fellow Everton full-back Leighton Baines, who they chased to the last day.
Rebuild
Moyes was on the back foot immediately – and he was sacked after just 10 months in charge, with many believing a lack of transfer activity gave him little chance to succeed with a squad that needed a refresh.
Ten Hag (inset) doesn’t want to be in a similar situation.
Even though he willl be given way more time to succeed than Moyes, he is demanding new faces so he can urgently begin his rebuild at United.