Fabrizio Romano has insisted that Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag thinks highly of one former Ajax star amid speculation linking the player with an Old Trafford move.
Erik ten Hag made a real name for himself at Dutch side Ajax before he completed his move to Manchester United in 2022.
The 54-year-old Dutchman arrived at Ajax in 2017 from Dutch side Utrecht and Ten Hag led the club to three Eredivisie titles and two Dutch Cups.
Ten Hag succeeded United legend Ole Gunnar Solskjaer on a permanent basis at the Red Devils and even linked up with his former Ajax players at Old Trafford.
The former Ajax boss has brought the likes of Andre Onana, Lisandro Martinez and Antony to Old Trafford after working with them at the Eredivisie club.
Ten Hag was also reunited with former Ajax midfielder Donny van de Beek at United, but the Dutchman was sold to La Liga club Girona this summer.
Romano on Ten Hag’s appreciation for ex-Ajax star
Erik ten Hag has been linked with more of his former Ajax players this summer, with Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui both attracting interest from Manchester United.
The United boss coached Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui in the past and United reportedly tabled a joint bid for the Bayern Munich defenders.
However, Bayern Munich rejected United’s joint bid and are believed to be holding out for a bigger fee for both De Ligt and Noussair.
Another former Ajax star that Ten Hag has been strongly linked with since his time at United is Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong.
Ten Hag has waxed lyrical about Frenkie de Jong in the past and wanted to sign the 27-year-old Dutch midfielder from La Liga club Barcelona.
United are believed to be keen to bring in a new midfielder this summer, with a move for Paris Saint-Germain star Manuel Ugarte now appearing unlikely.
Fabrizio Romano has said there is nothing “concrete” on United potentially rekindling their interest in De Jong, but he did spotlight Ten Hag’s stance on the player.
“I don’t have any concrete update at the moment on Frenkie de Jong, to be honest,” he told GiveMeSport.
“All I’m hearing is that there is nothing concrete or nothing advanced.
“We know that there has always been an appreciation, a historical appreciation, and Ten Hag considers de Jong one of the best in the world in his role.”
Ten Hag on failed Man Utd bid
Ten Hag admitted that Casemiro could have been playing in midfield alongside Frenkie de Jong had United managed to sign the player in 2022.
Speaking to United legend Gary Neville in May, he told 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.”
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