Barcelona rotated ahead of their Champions League fixture against Bayern Munich in midweek which allowed for Frenkie de Jong to get minutes for the Catalan side. The Dutchman was playing alongside Gavi and Sergio Busquets in midfield as he filled in for Spanish starlet Pedri.
It was an incredibly quiet first half for Barcelona with the scores staying at 0-0, however, in the second half, Xavi's side and De Jong got to work. The Dutchman netted in the 55th minute to open the scoring and his performance earned him the Man of the Match award despite Robert Lewandowski scoring one and assisting another two.
The performance and also the context around it showed why Manchester United should still be in for the midfielder. Against Real Sociedad, Erik ten Hag's side were unable to reliably progress the ball from deeper areas, De Jong wasn't doing that for Barcelona but he was a consistent asset in possession.
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But also the circumstances around why De Jong started should be advantageous to United. It is clear he is part of the second string at Barcelona, and unless he is happy wasting his talent on the bench at his 'dream club', he might look for a move elsewhere after the World Cup.
It is clear there is still a place for him in Ten Hag's side. Casemiro is the destroyer but Christian Eriksen is the only player who is able to progress the ball from deep reliably and he can't play every game.
The Danish midfielder has been a revelation so far, especially since United were able to get him on a free transfer, but when he came off the pitch against Sociedad, the team lost all control. In a long season where any mistake could be costly, especially in knock-out competitions, an injury to Eriksen could be incredibly costly.
Barcelona could also still be looking to move on the midfielder. His wages are still a big problem and with the restricted wage cap of La Liga, a second-string midfielder with a big salary will be top of the list.
There are no solid reports about whether the De Jong saga will continue or not into the new year, but for Ten Hag and United's sake it should give the team the best possible midfield going into the hardest part of the season.
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