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<p style="display: none;">Article continues below</p><script type="application/json" data-placement="footballco-bet-betsense">{"type":"footballco-bet-betsense","data":{}}</script><p style="display: none;">Article continues below</p><p style="display: none;">Article continues below</p><script type="application/json" data-placement="match-schedule">{"type":"match-schedule","data":{"channelId":"970b46ce-81b6-494d-942a-ff5ab2ea4651","competitionId":"34pl8szyvrbwcmfkuocjm3r6t"}}</script><script type="application/json" data-placement="fcplayer-semantic">{"type":"fcplayer-semantic","data":{"embedCode":"//cdn.fcp.codes/embed-code-template/embed-code-template.js#SEMANTIC_d6e1e5da-7d9a-43d5-97e1-f4350a3cd7e3"}}</script><ul><li>Worked with De Jong at Ajax</li><li>Man Utd first tried to sign midfielder in 2019</li><li>Wanted Dutch international to partner Casemiro</li></ul>

'We couldn't always get the players we wanted' - Man Utd boss Erik ten Hag confirms failed bid to sign Barcelona star Frenkie De Jong

<p><span>Red Devils boss Ten Hag managed De Jong for two years at Ajax, with the pair winning the Eredivisie title and reaching the Champions League semi-finals together. United initially tried to sign the midfielder before his big-money switch to Barca in 2019 and were then locked in lengthy negotiations with the Spanish club in the summer of Ten Hag’s arrival, <a href="https://www.goal.com/en-gb/lists/frenkie-de-jong-open-summer-transfer-barcelona-cash-in-long-term-man-utd-target/blt47a591236c1b80f4" target="_blank">but a move never materialised</a>.</span></p>

WHAT HAPPENED?

<p><span>De Jong was key to Ten Hag’s possession-based style of play at Ajax and his arrival in 2022 could have helped the United boss instil those philosophies at Old Trafford. But the failure in recruiting a midfielder of De Jong’s ilk to partner <a href="https://www.goal.com/en-gb/lists/erik-ten-hag-casemiro-man-utd-star-form-dipped-dramatically/blta48ba227545f795b" target="_blank">Casemiro</a> has seen the Red Devils struggle to deliver dominant performances and instead rely on a more direct playing style - which has resulted in criticism being aimed at the manager.</span></p>

THE BIGGER PICTURE

<p><span>Ten Hag told Gary Neville in an interview with <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKI_5F9j68o" target="_blank">Sky Sports</a>: "It would have been Frenkie de Jong and Casemiro [in midfield]. They would really be connected with each other. They would be really complementary to each other. That's a typical player, if you want to play the Ajax style, you need that type of player."</span></p>

WHAT TEN HAG SAID

<p><span>It remains to be seen whether Ten Hag will be the United boss next season and his future may hinge on achieving a successful result against Manchester City in the <a href="https://www.goal.com/en/lists/why-man-city-vs-man-utd-first-fa-cup-final-its-kind-since-1885/bltc5d8a8b218cb8dbe" target="_blank">FA Cup final</a> on May 25. The Red Devils continue their indifferent Premier League campaign next Monday with a visit to <a href="https://www.goal.com/en-gb/lists/man-utd-michael-olise-arsenal-chelsea-liverpool-crystal-palace-transfer-update/blt91d39fae826294aa" target="_blank">Crystal Palace</a> and will need a victory to stand a chance of catching Tottenham in fifth, who are currently six points ahead.</span></p>

WHAT NEXT FOR TEN HAG AND MAN UTD?

'We couldn't always get the players we wanted' - Man Utd boss Erik ten Hag confirms failed bid to sign Barcelona star Frenkie De Jong | Goal.com US

Erik ten Hag says Manchester United tried and failed to sign Frenkie de Jong from Barcelona in 2022.