DBasia.news – Manchester United brought in Fabian Ruiz as their offer for Barcelona star Frenkie De Jong continued to stagnate.
Erik Ten Hag is determined to secure a high-quality defensive midfielder and sees the Spain international as an ideal alternative if De Jong’s main target cannot be secured.
The Red Devils have spent this summer chasing De Jong, who is still their ideal signing, and have even agreed to a 55 million pounds (66 million dollars) fee with the Catalan giants.
However, a dispute over the deferred wages to be paid to De Jong delayed the deal, and meant Ten Hag would start the season without discussing the position he identified as a priority in his first transfer window at the club.
As United continue to try to sign De Jong, their pursuit of Ruiz is proof that they are finally running out of patience.
Ruiz has 15 caps for the Spanish national team and is a key player for Napoli. He is a cultured defensive midfielder, whom Ten Hag believes can dictate play with his passing range and providing a link between defense and attack.
United are adamant that they have alternatives if a deal for De Jong cannot be finalized, with Youri Tielemans and Ruben Neves also on target.
However, Ten Hag pushed for the pursuit of players he worked with at Ajax and was reluctant to switch targets.
“You don’t need any players, you need the right players, that’s what we’re trying to do. If it’s not the right player, no [we won’t sign another player]. We need the right players,” Ten Hag said on Friday. (5/8).
“We have said before, the squad is still looking for squad strengthening.”
Ten Hag refuses to publicly discuss De Jong, but it is clear about the need for a defensive midfielder.
“We want Frenkie?” he added when asked about his former players.
“This is about the right players and I can’t comment on players who are under contract at other clubs.”
“You work with the current squad and develop the players in your current squad. At the moment we have players in that position and are doing very well.