Man Utd told they’ve missed out on 'next Frenkie de Jong' despite two trials

06 February 2024 , 21:30

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Lucas Bergvall has just signed for Tottenham despite previously being on trial at Man Utd (Image: Michael Campanella/Getty Images)

Tottenham new boy Lucas Bergvall has previously been on trial twice at Manchester United - only to get overlooked.

Bergvall looked set for Barcelona but the north Londoners swooped in to secure an £8.5million deal with Swedish side Djurgarden, who will keep the player until the end of this season, when he'll then make his way to Tottenham.

Doubt over who would replace Xavi was a factor in why the 18-year-old rejected the Spain side amid concerns over the style implemented by the next coach. Before that though, United had the chance to land the teenager, as did Bayern Munich and Juventus, reports football.london.

Three of Europe's giants saw Bergvall close up with Peter Kisfaludy, a leading academy figure at Djurgarden, eventually landing the teenager when he was coming through the ranks of Brommapojkarna, who also unearthed current Tottenham star Dejan Kulusevski.

Bergvall has been described as a "little copy of Frenkie de Jong" such is his ability to play the ball in between the lines. That is the type of player Erik ten Hag has been desperate to land since arriving in Manchester, failing to land De Jong himself in his first summer.

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The former Ajax boss pushed hard to land De Jong, whom he'd worked with in Amsterdam, only for Barcelona to stand firm. The Dutchman has since remained at the Nou Camp with United still lacking a creative influence from deep in their midfield.

Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou is understood to have played a major role in convincing Bergvall that a switch to the Premier League was the best move he could've made. A desire to give the teenager minutes is thought to have been a major motivator.

Frenkie de Jong was on Erik ten Hag's radar when he first moved to Manchester (Eric Alonso)

Kisfaludy said: "I think that the coach at Tottenham when he spoke to Lucas told him 'I love young talented players and if you work hard here I will give you the chance to play'. So I think that is really important when the head coach says that to an 18-year-old boy. I think that's a really, really good sign and an important thing to give the player, that warm feeling that they are going to take care of you."

Bergvall will continue to play regularly for Djurgarden for the remainder of the season before his switch to north London, where he's been tipped to take six months to get up to the speed of England's top flight.

Samuel Meade