I’m sure I’m not the only one fed up with all of this Frenkie De Jong to and fro. There we are glued to our phones and computer screens; hoping to catch a whiff that the deal is edging closer to the line.
However, with Barcelona rearranging their debts to lull De Jong into a sense of security for the payments he’s owed; and with the player reportedly preferring a stay in Catalonia than relocating to the UK, it might be time to seek alternative arrangements.
So, with the Premier League season around the corner, I thought it best to look closer to home for three players who could potentially help to address our midfield woes.
Let’s begin with the wildcard of the group:
James Ward-Prowse
Hear me out on this one. I’m tired of this narrative that JWP is only good for set-pieces. That being said he is among the best in the league. Adopting a quick-whip technique to shape a ball into the box that’s calculated, invasive and extremely hard to defend against for the opposition. His accuracy on direct kicks is also one of the more enviable of his qualities and has attracted admirers from around Europe. However, his work rate and positional awareness on the pitch are two key attributes which would hold him in high regard as a box-to-box feature in United’s midfield.
There’s also nothing wrong with signing an official Premier League captain. The dressing room is clearly lacking a heap of substance and personality needed to put the braggadocio to one side and get the job done. An aspect which James Ward-Prowse holds close to heart if his consistency for the Saints is anything to go by.
With a fee of around £40 million expected to be just about enough to open negotiations with Southampton, we ought to get in quickly if those talks would ever be smooth.
Youri Tielemans
We should’ve signed him when he was at Anderlecht. Any Football Manager gamer would have known the potential he had! One of many prodigies to sprout from that famous Belgian academy, a couple of years at dollar-pushing AS Monaco threatened to stumble his development before it really had a chance to take shape in his early 20’s. Instead, what happened to Monaco happened, and Tielemans was one of many would-be stars who ended up leaving the South of France for pastures new.
Leicester forked out the £30-odd million required for his services and never looked back. 18 goals and 18 assists in 120 appearances in the Premier League alone is a more than healthy return for a player experiencing a weird life at the King Power. Whose particularly troubling period at present may incline those Foxes to loosen their grip on the midfielder.
With his contract ending in June 2023, Leicester may be willing to accept a bid in the region of what they paid for Youri Tielemans, and at only 25 years of age and a maturing international team in his sights, he could arrive at Old Trafford as a man on a mission. Which is never a bad thing, by the way.
Ruben Neves
I bet you saw this one coming, didn’t you? Arguably the most linked man to United in the past few years. With the exception of Frenkie De Jong, obviously!
Ruben Neves has been an exceptional player in the Premier League at Wolves, and you get the feeling that he’s beginning to plateau in the West Midlands. Though at the same age as the aforementioned Tielemans and capable of launching strikes at goal from a further distance than either he or James Ward-Prowse, there’s this dichotomy around Neves where the numbers don’t match his effectiveness.
In 142 appearances, he’s scored only 15 times, but his station nearer to Wolves’ defensive line than the striker helps to explain where his impact is best put to use.
He might not be the crunching tackler that we need, but in terms of his communication, ability to dictate the game and his positional awareness when under pressure, he could be a calming, influential presence to see us through the transition in a United shirt.
At around £45-50 million however, he would appear a bigger gamble than most. Still, he’d be cheaper and more closely proven than Frenkie!
Now, I’m not saying that I’d prefer for us to go for these guys ahead of De Jong – as it’s clear this ‘saga’ we’re engaging in indicates how much the manager wants him.
However, if we did have to look elsewhere for an intra-Premier League move, which of these Frenkie De Jong alternatives would you prefer the club to go for?