Frenkie de Jong could have just made a terrible mistake

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Manchester United’s summer transfer window was nearly totally derailed by pursuit of Netherlands midfielder Frenkie de Jong.

Despite agreeing a £63.5 million fee with Barcelona, De Jong did not want to move, with The Athletic reporting he simply had no desire to leave Barcelona for Manchester United.

With the season now underway, De Jong’s decision could turn out to be a terrible miscalculation on his part.

The chance to join Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United may not come again.

READ MORE: Confirmed Manchester United transfers, ins, outs, loans, releases for 2022/23

Frenkie de Jong could have just made a terrible mistake

There are two aspects to De Jong’s decision which make his decision to stay put at Barcelona look like an increasingly bad idea.

The first is the way Erik ten Hag has quickly turned Manchester United around from a basket-case of a club to a slick, well-drilled team which has rattled off four consecutive Premier League victories.

Ten Hag is managing to improve the players at his disposal, while sprinkling in some real quality. The alternative to De Jong, Casemiro, has barely even got started yet, while Christian Eriksen looks terrific.

De Jong could have been part of this, lining up in a three-man midfield with Eriksen and Fernandes, and he could have been here since early July. He simply chose not to be.

This United side feels like it’s going places under Ten Hag. De Jong is missing out, and unfortunately for him, isn’t in a good situation at Barcelona.

The midfielder’s decision to turn down United feels like a misjudgment on his part because he is no longer a starter at the Nou Camp.

Four games into the La Liga season, De Jong has started only once. At the weekend against Sevilla he came on for the final 27 minutes, with Barcelona already 3-0 up. The scoreline stayed the same at full-time.

Manager Xavi is invested in his three man midfield of Sergio Busquets, Pedri and Gavi. This leaves De Jong on the outside, and competing with Franck Kessie for extra minutes.

De Jong may be counting on Busquets being phased out eventually, he’s 34, and De Jong is a natural replacement, yet right now, the Spaniard is an undisputed starter.

Erik ten Hag was willing to make De Jong the fulcrum of his Manchester United side, and give him the role which Busquets is enjoying for Barcelona.

Instead the Dutchman chose to stay put in Spain. It was a big decision, and one he may have got very badly wrong.