16 February 2023 , 22:48
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Paul Scholes "would love" to have Frenkie De Jong at Manchester United after their failed summer pursuit.
The Barcelona midfielder came up against the side who sought his signature in the summer as the two European heavyweights played out a 2-2 draw in the Nou Camp. Erik ten Hag worked with a young De Jong previously at Ajax and wanted to reunite with him in Manchester.
Barcelona were dealing with plenty of ins and outs in the summer as they juggled their finances and De Jong was seen as an asset they could cash in on. Eventually though the Dutch stayed put and United went on to sign Casemiro, who has been a huge success.
Their interest in De Jong has not totally cooled though and they could reignite their efforts come the summer with Ten Hag set to seek more reinforcements. Scholes is a huge admirer of the Dutchman, whose versatility is also a huge plus.
He said on BT Sport: "You would love to see Frenkie de Jong play at Old Trafford, he can play deeper as a pivot or a little bit further forward which I think is his best position.
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"A fantastic footballer, can dribble and I think United fans will be looking out for him today but I’m sure all the big teams in the Premier League would love to have this guy because he makes you that much better."
Scholes went on to say, after a debate his a former team-mate: "He is wonderful footballer, I disagree slightly with Owen [Hargreaves] thinking he is better in the pivot position as a Busquets type. I think he was probably brought here to replace Busquets but Busquets keeps going. I think he is more suited to that role.
"I don’t think he [de Jong] likes playing in that forward role. But in my opinion he is better in that holding role where he replaces Busquets."
Frenkie De Jong was on Man Utd's radar in the summerTen Hag has again talked up De Jong's quality, which will only add to speculation regarding a future move.
"He's a fantastic player and has become even better," said the United boss. "Playing out from the back, he always has time. It was a pleasure working with him. He would strengthen any squad in the world. He's got unique quality."
De Jong has played 26 times in all competitions this term, underlining his role under Xavi in Catalunya. He is battling for minutes against some stellar performers with the likes of Pedri, Gavi, Franck Kessie and Sergio Busquets all options.
Xavi has said on United's interest in De Jong: "I think he was really clear to me - he wanted to stay with us. So there was not a doubt. Now he is our player and I am really happy with his performance, with his leadership. He is enjoying himself on the pitch and that is the most important thing."