Man Utd tipped to axe midfielder if Erik ten Hag recruits €85m ‘super talent’ from Barcelona
Danny Murphy thinks Erik ten Hag will stop playing Christian Eriksen if Man Utd are able to sign Frenkie de Jong from FC Barcelona this summer.
One of Ten Hag’s priorities during last year’s summer transfer window was to sign De Jong but the midfielder was unwilling to leave Barcelona.
Back in July, the Red Devils agreed a €85m deal with Barcelona but De Jong made it clear that he had no intention to move to the Premier League club.
Man Utd instead signed Eriksen and Casemiro. Both players have performed brilliantly for the club this season, but recent reports have suggested that they are ready to go back in for De Jong.
De Jong may have been encouraged by what he saw from Man Utd during their Europa League playoff victory over Barcelona.
Murphy thinks De Jong is a “super talent”, but he has predicted that his arrival would see Eriksen being “used more as a squad player”.
“I tell you what is worrying from a Liverpool point of view, that relationship between Erik ten Hag and Frenkie de Jong, because he is a player!” Murphy said on the FIVE YouTube channel.
“Barcelona have got to sell some players. They need to recoup over £100m and De Jong would get them a big chunk of that if they let him go.
“In effect, De Jong would play where Christian Eriksen is playing alongside Casemiro and Eriksen would be used more as a squad player.
“That’s probably why they went for Eriksen when they didn’t get De Jong because they’re both creative. De Jong is more athletic and a bit better at receiving the ball but they are similar.
“Frenkie de Jong is a super talent and he would be a big, big addition for them. It would be a really big addition for Manchester United.”
Ex-Man Utd player Paul Parker feels De Jong “would fit perfectly in Ten Hag’s midfield”.
“I would love it if United signed De Jong. He is a different type of player than Casemiro and he is quite agile on the ball. He would fit perfectly in Ten Hag’s midfield,” Parker said.
“He’s a great footballer and he would make the team a lot better. De Jong would add a certain ‘constancy’ to the midfield and in possession he could add a lot to this United.”
On Inter Milan’s Nicolo Barella, he added: “Barella is also a good player, but it is a bit more difficult to fit in an Italian. I would always prefer De Jong to Barella, partly because Ten Hag knows him (ie Frenkie, ed.) so well.”
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