Frenkie de Jong has delivered his verdict on Cristiano Ronaldo amid Manchester United interest

Frenkie de Jong once described Cristiano Ronaldo as a "top player" amid the mounting possibility that they could become teammates at Manchester United.

United, as reported by the Manchester Evening News, are hopeful of soon reaching an agreement with Barcelona to bring the central midfielder to Old Trafford. United registered their interest in the Netherlands international more than a month ago and talks have been ongoing for several weeks.

Erik ten Hag has set his heart on being reunited with De Jong in Manchester, identifying him as his top target to strengthen his side's midfield options. It is believed that the former Ajax manager plans to build his midfield around the 25-year-old.

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De Jong, who joined Barcelona from Ajax in the summer of 2019, has established himself as one of the best central midfielders in Europe over the last few years, playing alongside some of the best players to have ever graced the game, including Lionel Messi. Although the Dutchman has gone up through the gears at Barcelona, it was at Ajax, working with Ten Hag, where he first started to make a name for himself.

The club's run to the semi-finals of the Champions League in 2018/19 was the making of De Jong, just as it was for several of his former teammates. They got the better of Real Madrid and Juventus on their way to the last four, before eventually being beaten in dramatic circumstances by Tottenham Hotspur.

And it was ahead of the quarter-final showdown with Juventus where De Jong hailed Ronaldo. Ajax entered the first leg, despite toppling Madrid in the round prior, as massive underdogs and De Jong felt his side's chances of progressing to the semi-finals would be