How Frenkie de Jong could fit in at Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United

Erik ten Tag is confident his marquee summer target, Frenkie de Jong, will soon be confirmed as a Manchester United player in what is expected to be a total €85m deal. Given that the midfielder was reluctant to leave Barcelona and is one of Europe’s finest talents, De Jong’s arrival could prove a coup. He is versatile, too. In three seasons at Ajax the 25-year-old operated 12 times as a centre-back, 50 as a defensive midfielder, and 12 in a more central berth. After arriving at Barcelona in July 2019, he again played in central defence (nine times), as a holding player on 36 occasions and a central midfielder 93.

So, how could Ten Hag utilise De Jong and who else could the manager select in his XI if we include other current targets: Feyenoord’s Tyrell Malacia, Christian Eriksen (a free agent), and Antony and Lisandro Martínez of Ajax?

Malacia is close to signing but the prospect of Eriksen joining depends on his preferred destination, with Brentford and Leicester being considered by the Dane, too. And regarding Martínez and Antony, although Ten Hag would like to recruit them, United recognise deals for either are difficult.

At Ajax Ten Hag favoured 4-3-3, with 4-3-1-2 a backup towards the end of last season. Below are potential versions of these plus a further alignment, should Ten Hag choose to tweak his strategy.

Ten Hag’s dream 4-3-3: De Gea; Dalot, Martínez, Maguire, Malacia; Fernandes (captain), McTominay, De Jong; Eriksen, Ronaldo, Antony.

Ten Hag fields a “defensive” or “attacking” 4-3-3, according to the opposition and what may be required. In a proactive 4-3-3, De Jong’s geometric destructiveness is complemented by the more protective characteristics of Scott McTominay and Bruno Fernandes’s penchant to flit