De Jong will never return to Old Trafford but Ten Hag will still wait, is this the 52-year-old strategist's desperate wait? Through the tour in Thailand and Australia, if you look at the way the "Red Devils" captain directs both on the field and on the training ground, you can see that this is a person who is sophisticated, dedicated and not dreamy.
De Jong's story is simply understood: He wanted to ask Barca to pay him 17 million Euros in unpaid wages, so he did not want to leave the team. If he had gone now, the Dutch midfielder could have lost that large sum of money. However, despite being paid a high salary at M.U, the team's lack of a Champions League ticket will be a major obstacle for De Jong in the context of the 2022 World Cup in the immediate future.
Ten Hag knows the frustrations De Jong is facing, but he cannot have enough money to pay his student and where he will get the Champions League ticket, Ten Hag also does not know.
De Jong's current situation is quite similar to M.U's Di Maria case in 2014. The Argentine midfielder wrote a letter of encouragement to Real Madrid fans, saying that he did not want to leave the Bernabeu despite having just signed with Manchester United. From then on, just 12 months later, accompanied by a few disappointments, Di Maria was sold to PSG.
Di Maria said he knew he was not Van Gaal's first choice. De Jong's current situation at Barca is the same with Xavi having many other names such as Pedri, Gavi or veteran Busquets in hand.
De Jong was seen as a possible replacement for the legendary Scholes at M.U, so Ten Hag decided to pursue him through. The Dutch coach told CEO Arnold that even after the opening match of the Premier League on August 7, if De Jong has not nodded, the team should continue to chase to the end. Although it is known that the closer it gets to the end of the summer transfer window, the more difficult it is to make, but with the current openness, Man United is not afraid to lack sincerity when calling on De Jong.
Ten Hag wants De Jong to come to lead Manchester United's young stars, especially Elanga's new generation. Under Ten Hag, Elanga is being used more. If there was a suitable leader like De Jong, this striker would promise to shine even brighter because there is someone right behind who is always "clearing the deal".
Wins against Liverpool, Melbourne Victory or Crystal Palace in a friendly series did not say much about M.U's transformation. However, with the current positivity, Ten Hag shows that everything is going in a smooth cycle. De Jong is considered the most important link in Ten Hag's machine, if this were missing, everything would be very difficult to avoid getting lost.
