Ten Hag, the manager of the Red Devils, oversaw De Jong for two years at Ajax. During that time, the two of them won the Eredivisie title and advanced to the Champions League semifinals. Before Ten Hag’s high-profile move to Barcelona in 2019, United made an attempt to sign the midfield player. The summer of Ten Hag’s arrival, they engaged in protracted talks with the Spanish team, but a deal was never completed.

Ten Hag told Gary Neville in an interview with Sky Sports: “It would have been Frenkie de Jong and Casemiro [in midfield]. They would really be connected with each other. They would be really complementary to each other. That’s a typical player, if you want to play the Ajax style, you need that type of player.”

Ten Hag’s status as United’s manager for the upcoming campaign is still unknown, and his future may depend on how well United plays Manchester City in the FA Cup final on May 25. Next Monday, the Red Devils will travel to Crystal Palace to resume their uninteresting Premier League campaign. A win would be necessary to have a chance of catching Tottenham, who are presently leading by six points, in fifth place.