Ten Hag biographer exclusive: Why he’s so determined for Man Utd to sign Barcelona ace De Jong

Erik ten Hag‘s biographer says it’s no surprise Manchester United‘s manager remains eager to be reunited with Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong.

Ten Hag and De Jong won Eredivisie titles together at Ajax before the midfielder was sold to Ajax three years ago.

After leaving Ajax, himself, over the summer to take charge of United, Ten Hag pursued a deal for De Jong before the start of the new season. But the Holland international was reluctant to depart, despite Barca management being willing to do business.

Four months on and Ten Hag is trying again, with United’s revival under his charge reportedly impressing his former protégé.

And for Maarten Meijer, Ten Hag’s refusal to concede defeat in this transfer pursuit is no surprise. Meijer has just seen his new book, ‘Ten Hag: The Biography’, released and says De Jong would complement the current midfield options Ten Hag has at his disposal.

He told Tribalfootball.com: “At some point, oh I would be very, very happy if that would happen, very, very happy. I mean De Jong is a fantastic attacking midfielder, he’s so good you can see how he drives the ball and he finds the right passes and so forth.

“He would be great.”

Indeed, Meijer says the combination of De Jong and former Real Madrid midfielder Casemiro running the show at Old Trafford would be something exciting for United fans.

He continued: “Of course, the midfield has become a lot stronger already, with somebody like Casemiro, but he’s a different kind of player.

“Somebody like De Jong would really bring the game forward. I think he would be fantastic. I’d be very happy if that would happen.”

For more with Maarten Meijer, watch below:

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