Manchester United could sign perfect Frenkie de Jong alternative next summer in cut-price deal

After completing the first phase of their squad rebuild during the summer, you can guarantee that Manchester United will already have plans in place for January and beyond.

Fresh from a disappointing sixth-place finish in the Premier League last season, resulting in them being relegated to the Europa League, United entered the summer transfer window knowing that they needed to make ruthless changes to the first-team squad. They quickly pointed the likes of Paul Pogba, Jesse Lingard and Edinson Cavani in the direction of the exit door, paving the way for fresh blood to come in and mark the beginning of a new dawn.

In all, United added six new faces to the first-team squad in a summer of record-breaking spending. From the free signing of Christian Eriksen to the £85million capture of Antony, manager Erik ten Hag tried to strengthen as many areas of his squad as possible.

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Although Eriksen was drafted in to bolster United's midfield options, it was Barcelona ace Frenkie de Jong that, for so long, looked like being their statement signing in the engine room. But despite chasing his signature for more than 100 days and actually agreeing a fee for the Netherlands international, United were forced to admit defeat in their efforts, instead being forced to turn to Casemiro of Real Madrid, although his profile is very different to that of the former Ajax midfielder.

Ten Hag, who worked with De Jong at Ajax, wanted to be reunited with the 25-year-old at Old Trafford because of his forward-thinking, proactive style of play. He was considered the must-have player to make his team tick, although just about everyone else associated with United felt a