Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag once lavished praise on to Frenkie de Jong, who has been linked with a transfer to Manchester City.
As relayed by ESPN, the Dutchman gave his thoughts on his fellow countryman, who Pep Guardiola is personally keen on bringing in at City, according to a report on Sunday.
With Manchester City potentially looking to sign Frenkie de Jong, Erik ten Hag lauded him as recently as in February this year.
What Erik ten Hag said about Manchester City-linked midfielder Frenkie de Jong
The 26-year-old arguably had his best season since joining Barcelona, who won La Liga by a landslide under Xavi Hernandez’s guidance.
Now, it seems like the former Ajax maestro could make way for Ilkay Gundogan and replace the treble-winning captain at the Etihad Stadium.
As Manchester City could well sign Frenkie de Jong, Erik ten Hag, who worked with him at Ajax sang his praises.
“Frenkie is an incredible player and for every club in the whole world, he will strengthen the squad because he has a unique quality. If you can get him in the squad, your team will be stronger. In Spain, he became even better. He’s a fantastic player, plays out from the back, he always has time and it was a pleasure to work with him.”
Manchester City should look at a different profile of midfielder instead
Erik ten Hag was certainly spot in his assessment of Frenkie de Jong, who would certainly improve Manchester City as a whole due to his sheer quality.
But the question is whether City even need a midfielder like De Jong.
In terms of his profile, the Dutch international is far too similar to Mateo Kovacic, being yet another left-sided No.8, when the need for a replacement for Ilkay Gundogan is vital, who played in an advanced role last season.
Much like Kovacic, De Jong is a player that thrives in the first and the second phase of the pitch, and is not a threat in the final third at all.
While acknowledging the masterful technician’s brilliance, it can also be agreed that a midfielder like him is not a necessity for the Sky Blues.
