Manchester United told what Christian Eriksen and Frenkie de Jong would do for dressing room

Manchester United signing Barcelona star Frenkie de Jong would send a message to the dressing room alongside Christian Eriksen - according to Eriksen's former manager Tim Sherwood.

As part of their much-needed summer rebuild, United have completed swoops for Tyrell Malacia, Eriksen and Ajax centre-back Lisandro Martinez - while talks with De Jong are ongoing amid complications in securing his signature after being identified as a priority target.

Sherwood was at Tottenham when Eriksen first touched down in the Premier League in 2013 and later went on to manage him for a brief period. So exactly what would the Dane and De Jong add to the mix?

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Sherwood, speaking on behalf of 888sport, said: "It looks like Ten Hag wants players who can fit into his philosophy and those two boys [Eriksen and De Jong] are Ajax at heart, so they would make the transition easier. Not only that, but they can help send a message to the rest of the group that it's not about playing as individuals anymore.

"I always want big teams to do well and there is no bigger than Manchester United. But over the last few seasons it's been sad to see how they play.

"Some of their players have played only as individuals and you can win games like that when you have world-class players, but when you have world-class players playing as a team then you win trophies again. Those two would be great signings, but they need much more than that.

"They need players with not only ability, but the right type, the right mentality, the right playing philosophy, and I think Ten Hag is trying to get that for the squad. He has ability in the squad, but does he have the work ethic? You have to say no, not at the moment.

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