Frenkie de Jong | The last muppeting lap

Frenkie to United?


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Xanther

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I've heard here that he's not the defending type of deep midfielder, but more the start-the-move type. In which case, what's the point of him? Utd have issues with defence. Why not just get an actual defensive midfielder and let a new central midfielder run the team instead?
 

Berbaclass

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I've heard here that he's not the defending type of deep midfielder, but more the start-the-move type. In which case, what's the point of him? Utd have issues with defence. Why not just get an actual defensive midfielder and let a new central midfielder run the team instead?
Why not just have faith in the new manager to know what he's doing.
 

TsuWave

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That wasn't down to signings though. Everyone agreed we made some excellent signings before last season started.

Last season was a total mystery. Something happened with these players that we aren't fully aware of yet. There's no other explanation for how bad they were. Morale and cohesion is far more important than shiny new toys.
And were did I say it was down to signings? The fact still remains we finished 6th with a 0 goal difference and need signings now - signings and morale and cohesion aren't mutually exclusive.

Total mystery for you. I see a squad full of bums.
 

Oly Francis

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They're claiming they want around £73m guaranteed though, not £60m.
I'm pretty sure it's cheaper to give £73m right now that £60M + financing Arnold's A-team of representatives in Barcelona, drinking marguaritas on the beach and hitting every night club in town since they're obviously not doing much in the work department.
 

choccy77

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We're trying to get him as well. We've made an offer but he's not but decided what he wants to do yet.
I know, does anyone actually want to play for Man Utd :lol:

It's just shocking how we literally will.end up doing the same mistakes as the previous decade.
 

choccy77

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I'm pretty sure it's cheaper to give £73m right now that £60M + financing Arnold's A-team of representatives in Barcelona, drinking marguaritas on the beach and hitting every night club in town since they're obviously not doing much in the work department.
Well, don't forget Arnold spent a couple of million in the pub the other day also.

No wonder we are struggling.
 

NLunited

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As much as I want this to happen, I think we should make a final offer (80 mill euros) and then walk away. We improved our bid and they haven‘t budged at all. Meanwhile they cannot even register new players. The arrogance is just astounding.

So I‘d put in the final offer and then go work on plan B, whatever that is. Ten Hag surely has another plan. And feck Barça.

You cannot negotiate if you are not willing to walk away.
 

NoPace

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I've heard here that he's not the defending type of deep midfielder, but more the start-the-move type. In which case, what's the point of him? Utd have issues with defence. Why not just get an actual defensive midfielder and let a new central midfielder run the team instead?
Ajax had the 3rd most possession in the Champions League last year. Ten Hag seems to like using Frenkie in a double pivot, so the other guy would be the more defensively robust one. Presumably Fred or McTominay next year, then maybe one works out, the other doesn't and moves for an okay fee and we sign whatever player Ten Hag sees as De Jong's perfect partner.

I keep thinking about watching Chelsea play vs City or Liverpool against intense pressing and Kovacic and the Kante were comfortable receiving the ball under pressure because they can dribble and pass their way out of problems. We had Fred, who I like but sometimes crumbles under pressure, and McTominay, who hides or does the same. De Jong would give us someone our defenders can actually give the ball to under pressure.

But the idea is that we dominate the ball by having defenders who can pass and move and De Jong as the focal point of the build up. Might be a mess this coming year with our defence and De Gea, but it makes sense long-term and why I was hoping for either Ten Hag or Potter, rather than Pochettino or another guy I don't think plays an extreme style of football that can really rack up 90 points if everything is firing. And worst case, even if Ten Hag is a bit of a flop, he should move out the guys who don't think, run and pass well. Someone like McTominay will have to improve so much he looks like a new player, or he just won't last here. Also our most promising youngsters are mostly ball playing types (Amad, Garner, Mejbri, Alvaro) so should suit them and lead to at least some of them developing into decent players for us.
 

In Rainbows

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I've heard here that he's not the defending type of deep midfielder, but more the start-the-move type. In which case, what's the point of him? Utd have issues with defence. Why not just get an actual defensive midfielder and let a new central midfielder run the team instead?
Why do you think we're only missing a defensive presence in midfield? We've haven't had that passing presence in a midfielder since Carrick retired. And Carrick wasn't all that mobile or as press resistant as Frenkie, albeit he was a better defensive presence than Frenkie.

United fans have been rightly complaining about United's midfield lacking: a metronome type midfielder, and a defensive midfielder

Both have been neglected for a decade.
 

sglowrider

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Ok so, even if the two things were related which they're not, if we pay what Barca want, should we also just pay the asking price for next 3 or 4 players we need this Summer? Is that really a good idea? Can you think of any downsides to your proposed strategy at all?
Nail on. Too many people make statements for the sake of them.

Virtue signalling.
 

sglowrider

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The upside is we’d have a complete squad before preseason. Rather scrambling around on deadline day.

Paying the value seems to work for Liverpool, City, Chelsea.
You wouldn't buy a house this way, why should you expect the United team to do so?
 

roonster09

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"Don't want to pay a penny over 60mill"

Genuinely can't believe some people in this thread. Like others have said, the stars have completely aligned in our favour to get a complete world class midfielder, that our new manager really wants, at the age of 25, for a cut price fee of around 60mill quid. Yet people would rather walk away from that? There will never be another opportunity like this to grab FDJ.

In any normal circumstance Barcelona do not sell FDJ, and even if they did they'd want at least double, FDJ is worth a hell of a lot more than 60mill by all account we'd be getting an absolute bargain. Stop making excuses for our penny pinching lowball offers
Exactly, reports that they want just over 70 million pounds, it's still a good price for player of his quality. Like few said we have chance this summer, we won't get same opportunities all the time.
 

Bondi77

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As much as I want this to happen, I think we should make a final offer (80 mill euros) and then walk away. We improved our bid and they haven‘t budged at all. Meanwhile they cannot even register new players. The arrogance is just astounding.

So I‘d put in the final offer and then go work on plan B, whatever that is. Ten Hag surely has another plan. And feck Barça.

You cannot negotiate if you are not willing to walk away.
Geez!
You must be rolling in it.
 

amolbhatia50k

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I've heard here that he's not the defending type of deep midfielder, but more the start-the-move type. In which case, what's the point of him? Utd have issues with defence. Why not just get an actual defensive midfielder and let a new central midfielder run the team instead?
Our biggest issue since forever has been the buildup play.
 

Utuhu

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We should end this pursuit and move on. A £30m Tielemans or Koopmeiners will be a perfect substitute.
 

erikcred

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The danger is that he starts on fire like Bruno and then craters a couple of seasons later. I don't quite know his record at Barca. He started out very highly regarded I'm guessing, but now they're happy to let him go?
 

pocco

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The danger is that he starts on fire like Bruno and then craters a couple of seasons later. I don't quite know his record at Barca. He started out very highly regarded I'm guessing, but now they're happy to let him go?
His reputation is built from his time at Ajax primarily. I don't think he's been a disaster at Barca but he's just not fit in there. He had apparently been jeered off the pitch by their fans though.
 

Pronewbie

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His reputation is built from his time at Ajax primarily. I don't think he's been a disaster at Barca but he's just not fit in there. He had apparently been jeered off the pitch by their fans though.
Yes. I support the board in not overpaying for him. His stock has fallen. We should be focusing on our other targets though.
 

Danish Wizard

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It will happen. Just United being United, and trying to get more social media interactions, and maybe save a million pounds. No stress regarding this one, as he will be on extended holiday due to international matches. He will be a United-player by 12th of July, no problem.
 

golden_blunder

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I know but maybe we can secure someone else, and maybe use VDB or something. I'm disgusted at being taken to the cleaners by Barca, and he's not going to make us title contenders.
Nothing is going to make us contenders next season but he will in his tenure
 

kthanksbye

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Don't think the problem is paying the 8-10m difference between their and our evaluation of FDJ, the problem is that paying 5-8m more than our price means that's the kind of "tax" we'll have to pay for every transfer. When you look at 5 transfers that quickly accumulates to 30-40m more than what we should be paying.
Unfortunately we've been overpaying for players since a few years now and the selling clubs know that we're ALWAYS desperate for the player we're enquiring for and we rarely have alternatives.

This dynamic needs to change, the club probably thinks (and rightly so) that Barca need to buy some players so selling FDJ is important for them, if they think this is the time to put pressure on Barca and change the habit of overpaying then so be it. It will only be better for us in the long run.

Having said that, I understand why some fans think that he's an extremely important player, plays in a position we desperately need some quality in. one of the few young CMs who is truly press resistant, so we should not be missing out on him for 5-8m.
 

TrustInJanuzaj

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And were did I say it was down to signings? The fact still remains we finished 6th with a 0 goal difference and need signings now - signings and morale and cohesion aren't mutually exclusive.

Total mystery for you. I see a squad full of bums.
Which is a you problem. There’s loads of players that have proven their quality in this squad.
 

Kaushal

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How long Barcelona can play this game ? Lewandowski is waiting for them. They haven’t even able to register Kessie and Christensen yet. They are absolutely stuck in the mud. As hard as they trying to portray themselves here, surely they must be anxious and desperate from inside to get it sorted . How long can they wait ?
 

RC89

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Goldbridge is expecting this to be concluded Thursday or Friday this week and an announcement that we have agreed a fee with Barcelona. Let's see.

if United don't get De Jong this week the tour is only 2 weeks away then. And that will be another few weeks wasted as we never sign players on tour so you are looking at another month if United can't get it over the line before the tour. So a crucial week really to get a body in before the tour. Just to give the club a lift and raise fans up. It's so toxic and negative around United right now.. the club and fans need a signing before the tour..

De Jong will need to return from Las Vegas to do the medical, pimp the shirt, find a house to live etc so I suspect it's this week a deal needs to be agreed or it'll be another month or longer to get United and Barcelona to compromise on a deal.

I just hope if we don't get De Jong we have the Ruben Neves deal ready to go fee Agreed with Wolves etc straight away. We need a new signing for the tour.
He does get good bits of info but he has said himself he's not got a lot of great info on FDJ. His opinion on us getting it done this week is based on him thinking the Glazers will have to put out some positive news in a week where they're going to take £11m in dividends. It's not based on some inside knowledge on this occasion.
 
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