Former Sir Alex Ferguson assistant explains why Manchester United must sign Frenkie de Jong

Former Manchester United coach Rene Meulensteen believes the club should do all they can to try and bring Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong to Old Trafford this summer.

United, who will be hoping to take another giant stride towards securing a top-four finish when they face Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium on Saturday afternoon, first identified the Netherlands international as a target a year ago. He was manager Erik ten Hag's top target to strengthen the Reds' midfield options last summer and the club did agree a fee with Barcelona in late-June.

However, a dispute over unpaid wages at the Barcelona end put an end to United's hopes of signing the former Ajax ace. Instead, of course, they turned to Brazilian international Casemiro to strengthen their pool of midfield options.

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Nevertheless, United plan to recruit another central-midfielder in the summer and, as reported by the Manchester Evening News back in December, they have refused to rule out a second move for De Jong. The 25-year-old worked with Ten Hag at Ajax, meaning they know each other inside out.

And for former Reds coach Meulensteen, who is now the assistant coach of the Australian national team, United should do everything within their powers to bring the Barcelona ace to M16, outlining the various qualities that he would add to the squad.

"They need a really good midfield player," said Meulensteen, speaking to United's official Scandinavian supporters club.

"Yes, they've got Casemiro in there. You've got Christian Eriksen and Bruno Fernandes – a lot of experience, a lot of qualities – but there's also a little bit of a vulnerability because their mindsets are predominantly in going forward.