Frenkie de Jong is a player that I've long loved in modern football, and I feel like he could be the perfect signing for Manchester United.
His current team, Barcelona, have gone into financial decline and look nowhere near competing for significant trophies anytime soon. The sale of De Jong could facilitate some cash for them.
United are reportedly interested in his services as they're after a holding midfielder. However, they had a setback after his father claimed De Jong wouldn't come to Manchester due to the weather. I know it's sunny in Barcelona, but come on Frenkie, Amsterdam weather isn't that different to Manchester!
I still think that if an opportunity arose, De Jong would consider it because he has to put his playing career first, and he could have a Paul Scholes impact at Old Trafford.
We think he ticks all the boxes, so our United On My Mind writer, Omar Garrick, has given three reasons why Frenkie de Jong could be the midfielder Manchester United have desperately craved for several years.
1. Positional movement
While he can play as a box-to-box midfielder, De Jong has won plaudits when playing as a number six for Barcelona and Ajax.
His heat map from this season suggests he's been hogging the left-hand channel, which is somewhat true. Barcelona have usually played a 4-3-3 all season, and he's been the left-sided central midfield player in the system.
However, if we look back at his previous year at Barcelona and his final season heat map at Ajax, you'll notice that De Jong had a much deeper role in the 4-3-3.
Under Erik ten Hag, De Jong was known as the 'spare man.' Whenever full-backs Nicolas Tagliafico or Noussair Mazraoui decided to push forward, De Jong would sit back and cover their spaces to sweep up.
This is crucial to Ralf Rangnick or any other future Manchester United manager.
As we know, Rangnick will have a say in who becomes his successor, and he puts a lot of emphasis on his full-backs (4-2-2-2 has no wingers) to apply the offensive opportunities from wide areas. The signing of De Jong will allow United's defence to attack with more freedom, something that's been constrained since Scholes left the midfield!
2. A passing and pressing maestro
We all know Paul Scholes was probably the best passer of the ball the game has ever seen, but still, De Jong has a few skills of his own in that department.
United has been lacking someone who can transition the ball into the attacking areas, and De Jong can do that.
As per FBRef.com, he has averaged 5.51 progressive passes per 90 in a struggling Barcelona side this season. This is only topped by Paul Pogba, Diogo Dalot, and Nemanja Matic at United.
On top of that, he's averaged a 90.6 percent pass completion rate, more than any other United midfielder, while putting in 3.25 successful pressures per 90.
De Jong feels like a Rangnick player, which is evident in the number of progressive carries he makes per 90. On average, he totals 8.03, which winger Jadon Sancho only betters.
De Jong knows when to move the ball forward instead of sideways, which is crucial to how Rangnick wants his United team to play.
3. Defensively sound
United have missed someone who can support the defence in midfield, so there's a balance to the system. Fred and Scott McTominay have been criticised for doing a one-man job in a double pivot. If De Jong came in, he'd rectify these issues.
The 24-year-old averages 1.54 tackles per game, which is high for a team that is currently in ninth position.
On top of that, De Jong makes 1.03 blocks and 1.1 interceptions per 90, which is low, but this is for a reason.
You see, De Jong is a player who times his challenges instead of going in for one after the other. He knows when to make the right call because he's one of the most intelligent players in the game. This is evident in that he's only been dribbled past on 0.68 occasions per 90, the lowest compared to any other United midfielder.
This is something United have been lacking since Scholes left. His presence in the middle of the park will frighten opposition teams, and if he does come, I think they'd challenge for trophies.
Should United sign De Jong? Follow our United On My Mind writer Omar Garrick on Twitter to get involved in the discussion and give us your thoughts on the matter in the comments section below.
