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Manchester United's long, drawn-out pursuit of Frenkie de Jong is now well documented in the 2022 summer transfer window. The Red Devils are on the hunt for a new central midfielder and Barcelona's De Jong seems to be at the top of their list.
The situation had its own share of complications with Barca only willing to sell to raise money while the player himself wants to stay back at Nou Camp. The transfer mill has been busy with new updates on the situation every day.
Manchester Evening News reported on June 27 that the deal is now a matter of when and not if, with talks progressing between the two parties. United's new boss Erik ten Hag will be keen to reunite with his former player, who he trained at Ajax.
De Jong's potential arrival will be welcome news for United for two major reasons. The first is that they are low on squad depth in midfield after agreeing exits with Paul Pogba (contract runs out) and Nemanja Matic (mutual consent).
The second reason is that United's current crop of central midfielders, especially Fred and Scott McTominay, are not the best in the business.
The Dutch midfielder is a technically gifted player and is commendable at organizing the centre of the pitch. He has a calming effect on the ball and is excellen not only at shuffling possession but also at ball-progression.
De Jong will bring exactly what Manchester United has been missing in midfield over the last few years - an orchestrator. His primary job will not be to make last-ditch tackles or to create assists. De Jong will be used to maintain tempo in favor of the Red Devils, help build attacks from the back, and sniff out dangerous opposition plays with positional awareness.
Fred and Scott McTominay are both decent at making acrobatic challenges and tackles, but their tactical game is rather poor - which leaves them in no-man's land more often than not. It exposes the defense, which shopped 57 goals in 38 Premier League games last season.
De Jong first shone in European football under the guidance of Erik ten Hag and the duo potentially reuniting at Old Trafford could be a recipe for success.
While De Jong's arrival will benefit Manchester United, there are some players who might face career regression due to the Dutchman. Here, we will take a look at those players who might suffer from the Barca man's arrival.
#3 James Garner
Garner spent the entirety of the last season on loan at Nottingham Forest. His impressive performances for them might see him get retained as a squad member in the Red Devils' first-team set-up this season.
He scored four goals and created eight assists in 44 games for Notthingham Forest and could be set for a serious role in the first team if United do not land any other senior central midfielders this summer. However, should De Jong enter the fray, Garner might be pushed down to more of a backup role, playing most of his games in domestic cup competitions.
#2 Scott McTominay
He is an young, aggressive player with an excellent attitude. However, McTominay lacks the quality to play as a first-team member for an entire season for a club like Manchester United.
Moreover, Ten Hag's football revolves more around players who are technically gifted at ball-progression in midfield. It is a department in which McTominay lacks serious quality and hence the Scottish player could see himself get demoted to the bench.
Should De Jong come to the club, Ten Hag might opt for a midfield three of Bruno Fernandes-Donny Van de Beek and the Barca pivotman.
#1 Fred
The player who is most likely to face the biggest trouble with De Jong's arrival is Fred. He is currently the designated number eight at Manchester United, tasked with playing box-to-box football.
Ten Hag is most likely to change the 4-2-3-1 system to a 4-3-3 style, which means United will be in need of three box-to-box players, one with more attacking flair and one with good defensive acumen.
Bruno Fernandes is likely to make the most of the number of forward arrays while Donny Van de Beek will be tasked with playing a balanced role. It would ideally leave Fred as the cover, which will be taken over De Jong should he join Manchester United.
