Frenkie de Jong and Donny van de Beek offer warning to Erik ten Hag at Manchester United

Erik ten Hag captured the hearts of European football fans in 2018/19 as his Ajax side mounted an unexpected charge at the Champions League trophy. Not long after, key players from that side began to be poached by other European clubs.

With Jurrien Timber rumoured to follow suit, it should be noted that not all of their players have found the grass greener on the other side. Manchester United know this all too well.

Donny van de Beek, signed from Ajax in 2020, made just 50 appearances in a season and a half before joining Everton on loan in January. It seemed as though Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had no clear idea how to use him, while van de Beek apparently struggled to impress on the training pitch. His time on the pitch has mainly come in cup competitions.

READ MORE: Harry Maguire has given Erik ten Hag his first major Man United decision

Hakim Ziyech, another member of that Ajax cohort, has not hit the heights expected of him at Chelsea. Signed for £36m in summer 2020, the right winger has not managed to nail down a regular space, despite Chelsea’s long-standing struggles for creativity.

Out of the 40 times he's appeared for Chelsea this season, just 26 of those have been from the start, with 14 coming from the substitutes' bench.

Frenkie de Jong, another rumoured United target, has struggled to settle at Barcelona, who caught his services for £77m. With Sergio Busquets still first choice for the holding midfielder role, De Jong has had to battle for a position in a more advanced role.

However, Pedri and Gavi are more in favour under current coach Xavi. With the notorious financial struggles at the Camp Nou, it is thought that the hierarchy are open to cash in on de Jong.

Since his big-money move to Juventus, Matthijs