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.